China applauds the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and countries of the region for their good offices in seeking to resolve the conflict in South Sudan. China supports the people of Africa in resolving African issues in an African way. We also support IGAD in playing its leading role in addressing the issue of South Sudan.

China’s position on the issue of South Sudan is underpinned by a restoration of peace and stability in the country as soon as possible, and ease the impact of the situation on countries of the region. As the situation in South Sudan remains serious and complex, the international community must make collective efforts to bring the parties concerned back to the path of political settlement and implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, so as to immediately achieve stability and national development and to provide the people of South Sudan with a peace dividend at the earliest date.

The regional protection force, in its deployment process, must conduct full consultations with the Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan on specific issues, obtain the consent of and work in coordination with the Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan, and carry out its work in a way that is truly useful for the process of bringing about peace in South Sudan and is conducive to the efforts of the Transitional Government to maintain stability. Only by doing that will the regional protection force truly achieve what is provided for in resolution 2304 (2016) in terms of promoting peace and stability in South Sudan with a view to creating favorable conditions for the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict by all parties in the country.

Due to the fact that those principles are not fully reflected in resolution 2304 (2016), and that the revisions that China and some of the African members proposed are not fully incorporated in the adopted text, China had no other option but to abstain in the voting on resolution 2304 (2016).

As directed by the IGAD Plus Extraordinary Summit on 5 August, the IGAD regional Chiefs of Defense Staff will hold consultations with the military leaders of the Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan on the deployment of the regional protection force. The African Union Peace and Security Council will also hold a meeting on 18 August to discuss the deployment of the force. China hopes that all the parties concerned will reach consensus on specific issues related to the regional protection force and is ready to continue playing its constructive role in favor of sustainable peace and stability in South Sudan.