Mr. President, 

I thank Secretary-General Guterres for his briefing and welcome the Permanent Representative of Sudan to today's meeting. 

In Sudan, the continued conflicts have caused massive civilian casualties and a grave humanitarian crisis. This is heartbreaking. The international community should work together to seek a political settlement of the Sudanese issue and bring about peace at an early date. I would like to make three points. 

First, efforts must be stepped up to find a political solution. Recently, conflicts have erupted in many parts of Sudan, leading to inestimable losses and growing spillover effects. The most urgent task now is to end fighting as soon as possible. China takes note of the contacts between the two parties to the conflict. We call on the relevant parties to work with each other to deescalate the situation as soon as possible and to create conditions for peace talks. In the meantime, as Sudan's conflict has triggered a grievous humanitarian crisis, it is critical to ensure humanitarian access. China welcomes the recent decision of the Government of Sudan to open some border crossings to the UN humanitarian agencies to facilitate humanitarian assistance. We call on the international community, especially traditional donors, to continue to increase their assistance to the country and help Sudan and regional countries in humanitarian relief. China supports Personal Envoy Mr. Ramtane Lamamra in playing a greater role in advancing peace talks and easing the humanitarian situation. 

Second, regional mediation efforts must be supported. China welcomes the mediation efforts of the AU, IGAD, and the neighboring states on the Sudan crisis. China has taken note of the recent visit of the AU high-level panel on Sudan to the country and the positive statements made by the Sudanese authorities. The Sudan issue bears on the overall regional peace and stability. The international community should continue to support the AU, IGAD, and other regional organizations in playing a key role on this matter, respect Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and avoid the imposition of solutions from outside. 

At the same time, the Security Council should strengthen coordination with the AU and other regional organizations and work in synergy with regional mediation efforts. The Council is now discussing two Sudan-related draft resolutions, one on the Ramadan ceasefire and the other on the renewal of the POE mandate of the sanctions committee. China believes that the Council's actions should be conducive to diplomacy and avoid exacerbating tensions. China stands ready to participate actively in these discussions. 

Third, the UN should continue to play a constructive role. Recently, UNITAMS has completed its withdrawal as mandated by Resolution 2715 and commenced the liquidation process. As the Secretary-General notes in his report, the withdrawal of UNITAMS does not mean the end of cooperation between the UN and Sudan. China hopes that the UN and Sudan will have candidate communication to explore cooperation that can meet the country's actual needs. It is also important to draw lessons from UNITAMS experiences, so as to further mutual trust in future cooperation with Sudan and provide tangible support for its peace and development. 

Thank you, Mr. President.