Mr. President,

I have listened carefully to the briefing by Prosecutor Bensouda. I welcome the presence of Ambassador Siddig, Permanent Representative of Sudan, at today's meeting.

Recently, Sudan's peace process and political transition have registered important progress. China welcomes the official signing of the Juba Peace Agreement between the Transitional Government of Sudan and relevant parties. This represents a crucial step in Sudan's transition process, as well as an important opportunity for Sudan to achieve comprehensive, lasting peace. China encourages the signatories to earnestly fulfill their commitments and promote the full implementation of the peace agreement. We also call on the parties that have not yet signed the agreement to join the peace process as soon as possible. We hope that all parties will work together to realize the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding in Sudan.

China has noted that the ICC prosecutor and other officials are currently subject to unilateral sanctions. Such sanctions have come under criticism by many countries including many members of this Council at today's meeting. China consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that are not aligned with international law. At the same time, China hopes that the ICC will strictly abide by the principle of complementarity in exercise of its jurisdiction, truly respect the judicial sovereignty of states and refrain from interfering in any country's internal affairs. Regarding issues involving Sudan, the legitimate and reasonable demands of the government of Sudan and the African Union should be taken seriously, and the sovereignty of Sudan and the opinions of the Sudanese authorities should be fully respected.

Thank you, Mr. President.