Mr. President,

I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix for his briefing and his introduction of his recent visit to South Sudan. I welcome the presence of the representative of South Sudan to this meeting.

This year is of great significance for South Sudan in terms of promoting political transition and peaceful development. China believes that the international community should increase its support in three areas.

First, providing constructive support for the political process in South Sudan. For some time now, the South Sudanese authorities have actively carried out the preparations for the general elections, promoted the national elections commission and the constitutional review commission, among others, to perform their duties, and continue to deploy the unified forces. These are an achievement visible to all. China supports the South Sudanese parties in accelerating the implementation of the revitalization agreement and the key benchmarks of the roadmap on extending the transitional period, so as to create conditions conducive for the political transition and the holding of general elections. China welcomes the convening of the ministerial meeting of the African Union high-level committee on South Sudan on the margins of the African Union summit and the statement issued by the committee. We encourage the trilateral mechanism of the African Union, IGAD, and the United Nations to provide more support to the political process in the country.

It should be pointed out that elections are an internal affair of South Sudan. At present, the country is facing numerous practical difficulties in promoting political transition and preparing for the general elections. The international community must remain patient and continue to engage with the country while fully respecting its sovereignty and ownership. In particular, it should draw lessons from the recent turmoil in some African countries and avoid intervening in South Sudan's internal affairs through exerting pressure or forcing a diplomatic transition. Doing so will not contribute to the long-term stability of South Sudan. It may, on the country, bring about new turbulence.

Second, providing tangible assistance to South Sudan in strengthening capacity building in the security sector. Recently, there have been a number of security incidents in Jonglei, Warrap, and Western Bahr el Ghazal, including inter-communal clashes and the looting of livestock, which have posed a threat to the overall security of South Sudan. China welcomes the presidential decree issued by President Kiir on the deescalation of inter-communal conflicts and we support the Government of South Sudan in continuing to promote peaceful reconciliation among communities and in addressing the root causes of conflicts. The international community and UNMISS should prioritize support for the South Sudanese authorities in strengthening their capacity building in the security sector and assuming primary responsibility for the protection of civilians. It should be pointed out that arms embargo has long had a negative impact on the security capacity building in South Sudan. The Council should heed the calls of South Sudan and other African countries and lift the sanctions against the South Sudan as soon as possible.

The conflict in Sudan has led to the return of a large number of refugees to South Sudan, exacerbating the current humanitarian crisis in the country and posing a potential security risk. The international partners should help South Sudan respond to the humanitarian crisis and mitigate the spillover effect of the Sudanese conflict on South Sudan and other neighboring countries, with a view to maintaining common regional security.

Third, UNMISS should focus on its core mandate and play its role effectively. The renewal of UNMISS mandate is currently under consideration in the Council. China will participate constructively in the consultation on the draft resolution and continue to support the work of UNMISS and that of the Special Representative. At the same time, in recent years, some individual countries have been pushing for the expansion of the mandate of UNMISS, including by over emphasizing the use of force as a priority means of civilian protection. This not only interferes with the primary responsibility the mandate of peacekeeping operations, but also increases the strain on the resources at the disposal of UNMISS. China hopes that the Council will engage with UNMISS in a way that makes it focus on its core functions as a peacekeeping operation, and ensure that relevant tasks are in line with the needs and priorities of the host country, so that the Mission can play its role in an effective manner.

Thank you, Mr. President.