（Photo by Niu Xiaolei/Xinhua News Agency)

Mr. President,

I would like to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Moussa, for his briefing.

The general situation in the Central African region has recently been mixed. While China welcomes the clear improvement in the Great Lakes region and the progress in regional integration, the situation in the Central African Republic remains volatile, with increasing regional terrorist activities and transnational organized crime. Central Africa continues to face multiple challenges, some of which are common, to a certain extent, throughout Africa. This requires continued concerted efforts on the part of countries of the region and the international community. In that regard, I would like to emphasize the following three points.

First, in settling the issues in Central Africa, the imperative must be to stabilize the regional situation as soon as possible. Stability is a precondition for development. The deterioration of the situation in the Central African Republic and the troubles created by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have had a disastrous effect on the countries in the region and their population. China expresses its concern in that regard. We call on the international community to expedite its support to the Central African Republic so as to help the country promptly restore its normal security and social order. We also hope that the United Nations and the African Union will further strengthen their cooperation and work in synergy so as to eradicate the threat posed by the LRA.

Secondly, economic development is key to solving the issues in Central Africa in the long term. It is fundamental for long-term security and stability. The lack of development is one of the root causes of conflicts in Africa. A few days ago, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Africa and announced that the Chinese Government would provide an additional $10 billion in loans to African countries, to be used in such projects as infrastructure development, agriculture and poverty eradication. China hopes that the international community will fulfil its assistance commitments to African countries to help them accelerate socioeconomic development and create employment opportunities, which would in turn eradicate the root causes of conflicts. Thirdly, in tackling the issues in Central Africa, the ownership of the countries concerned should be rigorously respected. In recent years, regional and subregional organizations, such as the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of Central African States, have come together to promote prosperity through self-reliance, while seeking African solutions to African problems. They have made tremendous efforts to promote peace and development in the region. The international community, in supporting the search for solutions for Central African issues, should fully take into account the opinions of the countries concerned, and maintain close communication the AU and subregional organizations, as well as help them build their capacity to take the lead in solving their own problems.

In its three years of existence, the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) has done a great deal of work in coordinating and promoting the maintenance of peace and security in the region, and Mr. Moussa has made a tremendous personal contribution to that effort. China appreciates those endeavours. We also welcome Mr. Bathily as the incoming Special Representative for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, and expect that he will guide the Office in continuing to proactively implement its mandate. As always, China will continue to support UNOCA’s work.

Thank you, Mr. President.