Mr. President,

First of all, I wish to thank Mr. Gambari for his briefing. I would also like to express my appreciation to the tireless efforts Mr. Gambari has made in facilitating to address the Myanmar issue and the positive progress that has been achieved.

China believes that Mr. Gambari's recent visit has yielded positive results in many aspects, including: visiting Myanmar earlier than scheduled; having candid dialogue with Myanmar leader and several ministers; meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi and Minister Aung Kyi, the liaison officer for political dialogue; delivering a positive statement for Aung San Suu Kyi on the dialogue process, which is followed by her contacts with Minister Aung Kyi and the leadership of the National League of Democracy. Mr. Gambari was also invited to visit Myanmar again. Moreover, the Myanmar government has agreed to allow the ICRC to visit the country and is now receiving Mr. Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation of Myanmar. All these positive signs have shown that the political process in Myanmar is on the right track and moving in a good direction. We have noted that the Special Advisor was unable to meet the top leader of Myanmar, which gave rise to various speculations by media. However, in our view, the benchmarks to evaluate whether the visit is a success or not should not be subject to whom has been met or where has been visited. The judgment should be based on whether the good offices could facilitate the overall situation of Myanmar to move on towards a positive direction. By this standard, Mr. Gambari's visit is indeed a success.

As it is mentioned by Mr. Gambari on many occasions, the issue of Myanmar cannot be resolved overnight and Secretary-General's good offices is a process. While putting full confidence in the good offices, the international community should also show due patience for the process and results of these efforts. Rome was not built in one day. Myanmar is faced with various kinds of complex problems, and an appropriate and comprehensive settlement would inevitably take some time. Secretary-General's good offices also need to be carried out in an incremental and step-by-step manner for gradual results. By inviting Mr. Gambari for another visit, Myanmar has shown its willingness to continue its contacts and cooperation with the United Nations. We encourage Mr. Gambari to further enhance mutual trust and continue his candid dialogue with Myanmar, put forward feasible policy as well as technical recommendations based on the national conditions of the country, and provide facilitation and assistance for the political dialogue process. China also calls on the United Nations to focus its attention on how to help Myanmar develop its economy and improve the livelihood of its people.

Mr. President,

The international community should make positive efforts to complement Secretary-General's good offices and provide constructive approaches for the settlement of the Myanmar issue. In essence, the Myanmar issue is an internal affair of the country and does not pose any threat to international or regional peace and security. The situation in Myanmar is gradually calming down and turning for the better, and people's life is coming back to normal. This is the common wish of every nation that wants to sincerely help Myanmar. The international community should cherish the current good momentum and push for further improvement of the situation. Sanctions will not help resolve the issue, but rather further complicate the situation. Sanctions will even undermine the dialogue and reconciliation process that is starting, and interrupt the exiting contacts and cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations. This is the last thing that China and all other countries in the region wish to see. The international community should create a relaxing external environment for the dialogue process, encourage the Myanmar government to continue its cooperation with the United Nations and provide assistance to the country in its economic and social development.

The comprehensive solution of the Myanmar issue mainly relies on the efforts of the government and people of Myanmar through inclusive dialogue and full consultation. In our view, the Myanmar issue mainly has three aspects: first, how to improve the life of its people and achieve comprehensive economic and social development; second, how to promote ethnic harmony and ensure that the fruits of development are shared by all; third, how to expand political participation and promote democracy and the rule of law. We sincerely hope and believe that through dialogue, the Myanmar government will listen carefully to the views of all parties and take further steps to address each and every issue relating to ordinary people's livelihood, rights and interests of ethnic groups and democratization. We also hope all parties to the dialogue could give top priority to maintaining national unity and stability and promoting long-term development, which is in the overall interest of the country. We hope they will build up mutual trust, expand common ground, and take a flexible and pragmatic approach to push for more positive and tangible results from the dialogue.

Mr. President,

China supports ASEAN in playing a constructive role in the Myanmar issue. Stability and development in Myanmar are in the interests of all countries in Southeast Asia. We hope ASEAN countries will continue to help Myanmar as a family member, and work together towards the harmonious development in the region. China also welcomes the assistance provided to Myanmar by other countries through bilateral channels. We keep our mind open to all constructive ideas that may help properly resolve the Myanmar issue. At the same time, all assistance by the international community, no matter in what forms, should gain the understanding and cooperation from the Myanmar government and people.

As a friendly neighbor of Myanmar, China has followed the Myanmar situation very closely. We sincerely hope Myanmar would return to stability, make progress in development, and achieve political democracy and national harmony at an early date. We couldn't afford to see a relapse into turbulence in the country. China will continue, in its own way, to support Secretary-General's good offices and help the Myanmar government and people properly address the problems they are encountering. We are ready to work with other members of the international community.

Thank you, Mr. President.