Mr. President,

China voted in favour of resolution 2166 (2014), which the Council just adopted. China deplores the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17 in eastern Ukraine, which resulted in the loss of the 298 lives aboard. In his recent statement while visiting Latin American countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed shock at the crash, mourned the death of all the victims and expressed condolences to the bereaved families. He also stressed that an impartial and objective investigation into this incident be undertaken so as to establish the truth as soon as possible.

China supports an independent, impartial and objective investigation into this incident. As a specialized agency of the United Nations dealing with international civil aviation affairs, the International Civil Aviation Organization should play a crucial role in an international investigation. China calls on all the parties to collaborate and cooperate with the international investigation. China believes that our current focus should be on establishing the truth of the crash. Pending that, all sides should not jump to conclusions or engage in conjecture or mutual recrimination. We believe that the unanimous action by the Council today will help to enhance mutual trust and cooperation among all sides and to facilitate swift progress in the investigation.

Thank you, Mr. President.