(Photo by Li Muzi, Xinhua News Agency)

I wish to thank you, Mr. President, Ambassador Van Bohemen and Ambassador Oyarzun Marchesi for your respective briefings. The three Ambassadors have been actively promoting the efforts of the Counter-Terrorism Committee; the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015); and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) to implement their mandates and coordinate international counter-terrorism and non-proliferation efforts. China commends the three Committees on the substantial progress they have achieved in their respective work.

Mr. President, The 1267 Committee is an important anti-terrorism mechanism of the Council. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al-Qaida and other terrorist forces pose a serious threat to international peace and security. The international community should use a variety of political, economic and cultural means to design comprehensive measures and effective responses. China supports the efforts of the 1267 Committee, within its mandate under Council resolutions, strengthen the communication with the relevant countries, to strengthen the review of listings and delistings and periodically review the sanctions list; strengthen cooperation with Ombudsman and Monitoring Team; and make greater contributions to the cause of international counter-terrorism. We hope that the work of the Committee will be further improved and that all Members States will, in accordance with the Committee’s rules of procedure, continue to support and facilitate its work and fully uphold the authority and efficacy of the sanctions mechanism.

The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) represents an important platform for strengthening the capacity-building of Member States and international cooperation in combating terrorism. At present, terrorist organizations are using the Internet and social media as important means to carry out their activities. China supports the efforts of the CTC and the Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) to improve the assessment of the implementation of counter-terrorism resolutions, carry out country visits, organize meetings and undertake activities that are designed to fight the use of the Internet to incite and finance terrorism, in the framework of implementing Council resolutions, and to offer necessary technical assistance to Member States. China hopes that the CTC will continue to strengthen communication with Member States and promote its coordination and cooperation with relevant United Nations agencies in order to strengthen the capacity of Member States and promote international cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism and maintain international peace and security.

The Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) is an important mechanism in the field of non-proliferation. In the future, the 1540 Committee should focus on the comprehensive review of the status of implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). The comprehensive review is an important measure to ensure the effective implementation of the resolution and helps to further strengthen the awareness and capacities of UN members against proliferation. We need to come to grips with the goal outlined in the resolution and prohibit non-State actors from engaging in proliferation activities, especially for terrorist purposes. We must also avoid introducing other complex issues that do not fall within the mandate of resolution 1540 (2004). The Committee should play the leading role in assisting in the implementation of the resolution, strengthen its assistance mechanism and satisfy the assistance needs of the countries. Moreover, all relevant activities carried out by UN members should be conducive to the work of the 1540 Committee.

China is an important member of the international campaign against terrorism. The terrorist East Turkistan terrorists forces, represented by the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, seriously threaten not only China’s national security but the regional security and stability as a whole. China supports the fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We believe that counter-terrorism strategies should comply with uniform standards and not be associated with any specific ethnicity or religion. The United Nations and the Security Council need to play a major role in counter-terrorism efforts, in compliance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. We need to strengthen our effective coordination in order to wage a high-intensity counter campaign against terrorism. We attach great importance to international cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. As the President of the Council in April, China convened an open debate on countering terrorism that served to strengthen the political resolve of all parties against terrorism and devised a series of new anti-terrorism measures and recommendations, lending new impetus to the coordination and cooperation of international efforts against terrorism.

China stands resolutely against any proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). We believe that proliferation issues must be solved through political and diplomatic means, and the international non-proliferation regime should be safeguarded and strengthened. Only by fostering an international and regional security environment of mutual confidence and cooperation could we remove the root causes for WMD proliferation. China supports exchanges and cooperation among UN members in the field of non-proliferation. In September 2015, China hosted a training course for the 1540 Points of Contact in the Asia-Pacific region, which has played a positive role in strengthening the capacity building of the Asia-Pacific countries in implementing the resolution.

China will continue to comprehensively participate in and promote international cooperation in the fields of counter-terrorism and non-proliferation in order to promote further progress in relevant fields. China will continue to support the efforts of the 1267 Committee, the CTC and the 1540 Committee to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the mandates set forth in the Council resolutions, making new contributions to international cooperation against terrorism and non-proliferation.