Mr. President.

I wish to thank Special Representative Nicholas Haysom and Chair of the South Sudan Sanctions Committee Ambassador Michel Xavier Biang, Permanent Representative of Gabon, for their briefings. I welcome the presence of the representative of South Sudan at today’s meeting.

Recently, South Sudan has made a series of important strides in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement, the enactment of electoral laws, and the reorganization of state institutions. South Sudan plans to hold general elections in December next year, which is critical to its national development and stability. China calls on all parties in South Sudan to put the interests of the country and its people first, and resolve the differences through dialogue and consultations, so as to create conditions conducive to the holding of general elections. China supports UNMISS, together with the AU and IGAD, in continuing to support the political process in South Sudan. Against the backdrop of the more complex and grave developments around South Sudan, the international community should fully understand and respect the national conditions and the status quo of South Sudan, have patience in the political process in the country, respect the sovereignty and ownership of the country concerned, and avoid externally imposed solutions.

Mr. President,

China supports the efforts of South Sudan in maintaining national stability and promoting community reconciliation, and welcomes the deployment of the unified forces for the first time. Meanwhile, the security situation in Jonglei, Warrap, Central Equatoria and Western Equatoria states remain fragile with frequent violence and communal clashes. Recently, Secretary-General Guterres presented the report of UNMISS on the protection of civilians, emphasizing that UNMISS should support the country concerned in assuming primary responsibility for the protection of civilians and prioritize support for strengthening of their security capabilities. The Security Council should help improve the mandate of UNMISS to focus on this priority task. Meanwhile, the arms embargo imposed by the Council has had a negative impact on the security capacity building of South Sudan for a long time. We need to respond to the calls of South Sudan and African countries for the Council to lift the sanctions as soon as possible. 

Mr. President,

The humanitarian, poverty reduction and development challenges in South Sudan are daunting. Of the country's 11 million population, 9.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 5 million people have become IDPs or refugees. And that crisis is exacerbated by returnees from Sudan and other countries. The international community, especially traditional donors, must step up their efforts in assistance to prevent the situation from deteriorating. More support should be provided in such areas as livelihood support, education, health, and industrial and agricultural development, so as to help South Sudan embark on the path of independent development. It should be noted here that the development and management of South Sudan's petroleum resources is an internal affair of South Sudan in which countries outside the region should not interfere.

Mr. President, 

Over the years, China has actively participated in UN peacekeeping operations in South Sudan. The 13th batch of Chinese peacekeeping engineers and medical teams in South Sudan have recently successfully completed their tasks, with high recognition by the UN and the country concerned for their professionalism and high discipline. The 14th batch of Chinese peacekeepers have arrived in the mission area. China stands ready to work with the international community to continue to contribute to the peaceful development of South Sudan.

Thank you, Mr. President.