China has very closely followed the situation in South Sudan. President Salva Kiir of South Sudan announced at the start of the nation-wide dialogue that the South Sudanese Transitional Government of National Unity had unconditionally accepted the deployment of the Regional Protection Force. It also announced concrete measures in support of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and of the humanitarian workers in fulfilling their mandates. China welcomes those recent developments.

The international community should take this opportunity to call on all parties in South Sudan to implement the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan and return to the search for a political solution in order to attain peace, stability and development as soon as possible. China welcomes the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) recent convening of a summit and the issuance of a communiqué on South Sudan, and China supports IGAD’s continued leading role in mediating that matter.

The South Sudan Transitional Government has taken an important step in implementing resolution 2304 (2014) and the Joint Communiqué. The Council, in turn, should send out more positive messages and signals in order to encourage the parties in South Sudan to meet each other half way and jointly commit to national peace, stability and sustainable development. With respect to to sanctions, the Security Council should act prudently in order to avoid reversing the current positive momentum.

China supports the renewal of the UNMISS mandate. China appreciates the Mission’s role in assisting South Sudan to implement the Peace Agreement, protecting the civilians and delivering humanitarian assistance. We hope that the Secretariat can comprehensively review the new and emerging challenges faced by United Nations peacekeeping operations and systematically improve its peacekeeping work in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and ensure the enhanced protection and safety of peacekeepers by giving them a better capacity to deal with complex situations and fulfill their mandates.

The Chinese Government is consistent in its support of the peace process in South Sudan and has provided assistance to South Sudan within its capacity. China has dispatched 1,000 peacekeepers to UNMISS. China stands ready to maintain, alongside the international community, its constructive role in assisting South Sudan to achieve peace and stability.