Mr. President,

I welcome the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Chinese delegation voted in favour of resolution 2098, which the Council just adopted.

China is seriously concerned about the worsening security and humanitarian situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is deeply worried about the serious consequences that it has for regional peace and security.

We strongly support the efforts made by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in maintaining national sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability, and we commend the United Nations, the African Union and the relevant regional organizations for their positive role in addressing the problems in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We hope that the parties concerned will, as called for in resolution 2098 (2013), take effective measures to implement the Framework for Peace, Security and Cooperation for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region.

We hope that the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) will continue to strengthen its efforts in communicating and coordinating with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and strictly abide by its mandate, as conferred by the Council, so as to make a greater contribution to the long-term peace and security of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

China believes that the three peacekeeping principles of the United Nations, including the consent of the parties, impartiality and the non-use of force, except in self-defence and in defence of the mandate, provide an important guarantee for the success of United Nations peacekeeping operations. They have been widely supported by the vast majority of developing countries and therefore should continue to be adhered to. At the same time, we have always supported the efforts made by African countries and regional organizations to maintain regional peace and security. We therefore attach great importance to the request by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the relevant regional organizations in Africa for the deployment of the Intervention Brigade and the adjustment of the mandate of MONUSCO.

In view of what I have just mentioned, China agrees on an exceptional basis to the deployment of an Intervention Brigade within MONUSCO. Under the terms of this resolution, the deployment of this Intervention Brigade does not constitute any precedent, nor does it affect the continued adherence of the United Nations to the peacekeeping principles.

Thank you, Mr. President.