President, 

I thank Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov, Executive Director Natalia Gherman, and President Elisa de Anda Madrazo for their briefings. 

Terrorism is a common enemy of humanity. In a context of growing volatility and recurrent hotspot issues in the international landscape, threats posed by terrorism are reemerging across the world. High-profile terrorist attacks are rising in both numbers and frequency, resulting in increasing casualties and repercussions. The international community needs to strengthen unity and cooperation and steer clear of ideological biases and geopolitical calculations to build a strong united front against terrorism and jointly counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Here, I wish to talk about three specific counter-terrorism settings. 

First, Syria. Over the past half year, terrorist groups like ISIL and ETIM/TIP have exploited the instability in Syria to expand their reach, recruit fighters to their ranks, loot weapons, and launch frequent attacks. Foreign terrorist fighters stationed in Syria are moving across borders and posing a serious threat to regional security. As indicated in the report of the 1267 Committee monitoring team, ETIM/TIP alone has several thousand militants within Syria. The international community must urge the Syrian interim authorities to effectively fulfill their counter-terrorism obligations and resolutely counter all terrorist organizations designated by the Council, including Daesh and ETIM/TIP. Given the lingering complexities and challenges in Syria on the counter-terrorism front, what implications and effects will follow from adjusting the Council sanction regime related to Syria now? Do the Syrian interim authorities have the capacity and means to follow up on the said adjustments? Will the adjustments create loopholes for the terrorist organizations in Syria? It is important for us to make judicious decisions based on the careful study of these questions.

Second, Afghanistan. As indicated in the Secretary-General’s report, terrorist groups such as ISIL-K, Al-Qaida, ETIM, TTP, and BLA and its Majeed Brigade are collaborating with one another and remain active in Afghanistan and South Asia, orchestrating a series of heinous terrorist attacks. We call on the Afghan interim government to step up counter-terrorism efforts and root out all terrorist forces within its borders. We call on countries in the region to enhance political trust and make full use of platforms, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to strengthen practical counter-terrorism cooperation. We noted that the United States Government has recently designated BLA and its Majeed Brigade as terrorist organizations. We hope the Council can follow suit and include this organization in the 1267 sanctions list as soon as possible.

Third, Africa. The Secretary-General’s report indicates that ISIL continues to pivot towards Africa, taking over cities, making territorial gains, attacking civilians, and resulting in massive losses and heavy strains in many affected countries. The international community should, on the basis of respecting state sovereignty, provide greater financial, technical, intelligence, and logistical support to African countries, and help the AU and other regional organizations enhance their counter-terrorism capacity. The Council should endeavor to facilitate the settlement of hotspot issues and enhance dialogue and cooperation with the countries concerned and regional organizations to promptly defuse conflicts and disputes and relentlessly diminish the environment prone to terrorism and the soil breeding terrorist forces. 

President,

The UNOCT, CTED, the 1267 Committee Monitoring Team, and FATF have made active efforts in tracking global counter-terrorism developments and promoting global counter-terrorism cooperation. China commends their efforts. We encourage relevant counter-terrorism bodies to further strengthen coordination and coherence in implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The Council should continue to prioritize counter-terrorism on its agenda and effectively leverage mechanisms such as 1267, 1988, and 2713 sanctions regimes in support of counter-terrorism operations by individual states and counter-terrorism efforts globally. 

President, 

China resolutely opposes terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Over the years, under the Global Security Initiative, China has been helping other developing countries, especially those in Africa, build their counter-terrorism capacity through bilateral and multilateral channels. Through the China-UN Peace and Development Fund, we have supported countries in the Sahel with counter-terrorism operations and financed the UNOCT program office in Kenya, and helped enhance the counter-terrorism capacity of African countries with UAV technologies. We stand ready to work with all partners to advance the global counter-terrorism cause and actively contribute to a world with lasting peace and universal security. 

Thank you, President.