I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General O’Brien for his briefing.

The conflicts in some parts of Syria have intensified lately, and the situation in Aleppo has escalated. China is gravely concerned about the civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Syria. We welcome Russia’s support for the United Nations proposal for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo. We commend the efforts of the International Syria Support Group co-chairs — the United States and the Russian Federation. We hope that the parties concerned will urge the Government and the opposition in Syria to implement the cessation of hostilities agreement in good faith and facilitate the efforts of United Nations aid agencies to ease the humanitarian situation in Aleppo without delay.

China has been actively supporting the mitigation of the humanitarian situation in Syria and has provided, through multiple channels, several tranches of humanitarian aid, including food and supplies, for Syria and other countries in the region.

A political solution to the Syrian situation is the fundamental way out for resolving the set of issues related to Syria, including the humanitarian problem. The international community should stay the course in the general direction of moving towards a political settlement, with an intensified effort to move the political settlement forward. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura is actively pushing for a new round of Intra-Syrian talks as soon as possible. All parties in Syria should put Syria’s national interests and the interests of its people first and attend the Intra-Syrian talks to find a solution acceptable to all parties based on a step-by-step approach. The international community, including other countries in the region, should support the leading role of the United Nations in the area of good offices and support the Special Envoy in his work, so as to sustain the momentum for a political settlement and ensure that the process can come to fruition.

Counter-terrorism is a challenge that must be confronted in the course of addressing the Syria issue. Terrorism in the Syrian territory and in the region causes civilian casualties and hampers international relief efforts. The international community should strengthen coordination, uphold uniform standards and join forces to combat all the terrorist organizations in Syria that have been designated by the Security Council in order to create enabling conditions for the achievement of a political solution.