Madam President,

I would like to start by thanking Special Representative Abdou Abarry and Mr. Gilberto Da Piedade Verissimo, President of the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States, for their briefings. I have also listened carefully to the briefing to the presentation by Ms. Marie Nkom Tamoifo.

China is a good friend and good partner of Central African countries as well as a staunch supporter of peace and development in the region. Recently, at the invitation of China, leaders of Gabon, the DRC, and other countries in the region visited China, injecting a strong impetus to the friendship and cooperation between us. China stands ready to join the rest of the international community to increase our input and commitments to the region by rendering more constructive support. In light of the Secretary-General’s report, allow me to make the following three observations.

First, we need to support regional countries in their efforts to maintain political stability. Since the end of last year, Equatorial Guinea has held a presidential election and formed a new government. Cameroon has held elections for positions in the senate, made progress in decentralization and national reconciliation, and implemented economic and social development programs at the local level. Chad relaunched the national dialogue. Gabon, Rwanda, and other countries are actively preparing for their general elections. The ongoing situation across multiple African countries proves that solutions to African issues must be found from within. The vigorous efforts by the Central African countries deserve full recognition. The international community should respect the sovereignty and ownership of the countries concerned, and pitch in to help maintain regional political stability with positive energy. Meddling from outside or imposing unilateral sanctions at every turn will not lead to any solution. It will only aggravate tensions. We hope the SRSG will, in strict accordance with the Council's mandate, provide constructive support to the countries concerned in their electoral preparations and dialogue process. China believes that the international community should arrive at an objective assessment of human rights work based on the realities of the countries concerned and the needs of their people. Human rights must not be used as an empty slogan, still less an instrument to interfere in the internal affairs of the countries concerned.

Second, we need to support regional organizations in their response to security challenges. At the ECCAS summit held in February this year, important consensus was reached in areas such as how to deepen regional security cooperation and address common challenges. that said, illegal armed groups, terrorists, and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea remain rampant. The spillovers from the situation in the eastern DRC and the turmoil in Sudan are worrying as they are exacerbating the humanitarian and refugee crisis in the region. We support ECCAS in upholding common security and enhancing collective security cooperation. The international community should support the capacity building of regional counterterrorism forces and increase input in maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. Efforts must also be made to encourage countries in the region to build greater trust and overcome differences between them. China takes very seriously the challenges posed by climate change to the region. The international community should provide concrete assistance. Developed countries in particular should honor their commitments as soon as possible, so that countries in the region can access much needed financial, technological, and capacity building support.

Third, we need to help countries in the region prevent and defuse conflict-related risks. According to the Secretary-General’s report, Cameroon, Central Africa, Burundi, and the Republic of the Congo are facing a wide range of energy, food, humanitarian, and fiscal risks, intensifying the stress factors affecting social stability. Recently, a major economy has adopted irresponsible financial and monetary policies, passing on economic and financial risks beyond its borders, while milking developing countries for their wealth in a cyclic manner. As far as African and other developing countries are concerned, this is the biggest external risk factor. Developed countries and international financial institutions must make real efforts to genuinely understand the difficulties faced by regional countries, deliver on their development assistance commitments, and maintain the current level of humanitarian funding to help regional countries tied over their difficulties. Regional countries must also be supported, based on their national realities and development needs, to bolster their capacities in poverty reduction, employment, trade, and infrastructure, so as to make their development more resilient. The Secretary-General’s report calls for tackling the root causes of conflict from the perspective of sustainable development to discover the key to bring the region out of its security dilemma. This is an area that merits our close attention and further discussions.

I thank you, Madam President.