Mr. President,

I thank you for chairing the meeting. I also thank Secretary-General António Guterres, and Mr. Pierre Buyoya, African Union High Representative for Mali and the Sahel for their briefings.

We are happy to see the continued positive developments of political situation in Mali. As an important outcome of the national inclusive dialogue, the legislative elections were successfully held early this year, the reconstituted units of national armed forces were redeployed to northern Mali, and the Peace and Reconciliation Accord was further implemented. We are encouraged to see such progress, and commend the efforts made by the Malian government and its people in this regard.

Meanwhile, we also noticed that the security situation in northern and central Mali was facing increasing challenge, arising from frequent terrorist activities and inter-communal violence, which made the humanitarian situation more severe. Such situation seriously hinders the peace and development process in Mali. Having read the Secretary-General’s report and listened to the briefings, I wish to share the following points:

First, the current positive political momentum should be consolidated. We hope all parties in Mali will take the progress of national dialogue and legislative elections as an opportunity, to consolidate the positive momentum, strengthen mutual trust, and work together for the peace and development of Mali. China welcomes the redeployment reconstituted units of national armed forces to northern Mali, and notes that the process is facing some difficulties. We hope relevant parties could resolve differences through dialogue, and continue to implement the Peace Accord. The international community should assist Mali in enhancing its ability for independent development and governance, while respecting Mali’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Second, more efforts and investment should be made in countering terrorism in the region. Terrorism is a serious challenge facing Mali and other Sahel countries. It is for this reason that the Security Council held a debate on countering-terrorism in Africa and adopted a presidential statement this March. The outcome should be implemented. We hope the international community will continue to support the Malian government, in improving its counter-terrorism capacity, advancing regional cooperation, promoting poverty reduction, and combating terrorism in an integrated approach. In this regard, it is essential to provide support to the G5 Sahel Joint Force. China has provided 300 million RMB to the Joint Force and counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel. We commend the important logistic support provided by MINUSMA to the Joint Force, and thank the Secretary-General for recommending three options on further improving the support model. We will actively participate in the discussions of the Security Council in this regard.

Third, continued efforts should be made to eliminate the root causes of instability through sustainable development. The international community should continue to help Mali improve economic foundation, and achieve sustainable development on its own at an early date. Such efforts will help eliminate the root causes of many problems in Mali. We welcome the Prime Minister of Mali announced a series of infrastructure projects during his visit to northern Mali this March, with an aim to promote the Northern Development Zone. We hope further efforts will be made to follow through these projects, to provide basic services to the people in the north and improve their livelihood.

Fourth, necessary support should continue to be provided to MINUSMA. MINUSMA has played an important role in maintaining peace and stability, and promoting the reconciliation process in Mali. China supports the extension of MINUSMA’s mandate for one year as recommended by the Secretary General. As a major troop-contributing country to MINUSMA, China has dispatched 7 batches of peacekeepers to MINUSMA, and 426 Chinese peacekeepers are currently undertaking various tasks in MINUSMA. We support the adaptation plan of MINUSMA, and have pledged to actively consider dispatching an Unmanned Aircraft System unit. We sincerely hope MINUSMA will actively implement the Security Council Resolution 2518 on the safety of peacekeepers adopted in March, to effectively protect the safety and security of peacekeepers and ensure that necessary security supplies are in place.

Mr. President,

The African continent is facing the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. As President Xi Jinping stressed in his speech at the 73rd World Health Assembly, it should be the top priority of the international community to help developing countries, especially African countries, in this battle against the pandemic. The international community should provide more material, technical and personnel support to African countries. China has delivered a large amount of medical aid to more than 50 African countries including Mali and the African Union, and sent 148 medical experts to 11 African countries. We will establish a cooperation mechanism for our hospitals to pair up 30 African hospitals, accelerate the construction of the headquarters of the African Center for Disease Control, and help African countries improve their capabilities of disease prevention and control. Once the vaccine is available in China, we will make it a global public good, and make sure African and developing countries are among the first to benefit. We sincerely hope that with the joint efforts of all of us, Africa will defeat the pandemic and make the continent full of hope.

I thank you, Mr. President.