President,

I wish to thank Deputy Special Envoy Najat Rochdi and Director Edem Wosornu for their briefings. 

Over the past month, Israel has continued to carry out air strikes against Syria, causing heavy casualties. The actions by Israel gravely violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. China expresses its strong condemnation. Such actions must cease immediately. The protracted conflict in Gaza and the escalating situations in Lebanon have plunged the entire region into uncertainty and instability. In this context, the international community must work together to effectively prevent the further growth and spread of conflict, as it will lead to even greater disasters. China calls on the parties concerned to effectively respect the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Syria and immediately cease their illegal military actions against Syria. Foreign forces must end their illegal military presence in Syria as soon as possible. 

The rising tensions in Lebanon recently have caused an influx of more than 500,000 refugees into Syria, further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation there. China applauds the positive actions taken by the UN agencies in their efforts to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to those in need. We welcome the Syrian Government’s decision to extend the authorization for the relevant border crossings and commend the Government’s efforts in making proper arrangements to host refugees. We call on the member states to respond positively to the urgent appeals by humanitarian agencies such as UNHCR, scale up humanitarian input for Syria, honor the donor commitments in a timely manner, and ensure the smooth implementation of humanitarian projects in Syria, so as to help improve the humanitarian situation in the country. China reiterates that the unilateral sanctions imposed against Syria by certain countries should be lifted without delay, and the illegal plundering of Syrian resources should stop forthwith, in order to create favorable conditions for the Syrian economy to recover and develop. 

President, 

China firmly supports the general direction of a political solution to the Syrian issue and the comprehensive political process in accordance with the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned principle. We welcome the efforts by Special Envoy Geir Pedersen in line with this principle. We look forward to the coordination among various existing dialogue mechanisms to render assistance to the political solution on the basis of communication and consultation with the Syrian Government. China firmly supports the Syrian Government in its efforts to fight terrorism. We call on the international community to reject double standard in accordance with international law and Council resolutions and join hands in the spirit of zero tolerance to support the Syrian Government in combating terrorist forces within its borders. 

Thank you, President.