President,

China welcomes the convening of this informal dialogue and thanks the briefers for their briefings.

In 1945, the League of Arab States and the United Nations were established one after another. Over the decades, the two organizations have worked to deepen their partnership and to safeguard regional and global peace and stability. For five consecutive years, the Security Council has held informal interactive dialogues with the League of Arab States during the High-Level Week of the General Assembly. Under the current circumstances, the significance of this dialogue is all the more evident. I would like to make the following points:

First, we must bring an early end to the fighting in Gaza. Gaza has become a living hell, with 65,000 lives lost to the flames of war and more than 2 million people struggling in despair amid a humanitarian catastrophe. The League of Arab States and regional countries have been actively pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza. Egypt and Qatar have made tremendous efforts to mediate, and China highly appreciates their work. The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. We hope all members of the Council, especially the one country with significant influence on the parties concerned, will demonstrate political will and support the Council in taking all necessary actions to promote a ceasefire in Gaza and to alleviate the humanitarian disaster.

Second, we must revive the prospect of the two-State solution. The Palestinian question is at the heart of the Middle East issue. Implementing the two-State solution is the only viable way to resolve the Palestinian question. China supports the high-level meeting held this week on the implementation of the two-State solution. We call on Arab countries and the wider international community to take more practical and robust actions to sustain the current momentum, while jointly resisting and opposing unilateral actions that undermine the foundation of the two-State solution, opposing the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, and opposing illegal attempts to annex Gaza and the West Bank.

Third, we must work to deescalate regional tensions as soon as possible. The spillover effects of the Gaza conflict continue to reverberate, leading to overlapping regional hotspots. Israel must stop infringing on the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and other countries. China encourages the Syrian Transitional Government to advance an inclusive political process, fulfill its counter-terrorism obligations, and take strong measures to combat all terrorist organizations listed by the Security Council, including the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement. The international community should continue to assist and support the Lebanese Government in active governance, improving livelihoods, and restoring control. We call for greater efforts to advance the political settlement of the Yemen issue and to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

President,

In recent years, China's relations with Arab countries have flourished, setting an example of solidarity and cooperation among developing countries. In 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Arab leaders jointly attended the first China-Arab States Summit. The second Summit will be hosted by China in 2026, which we believe will mark another important milestone in the history of China-Arab relations. President Xi has put forward the Global Security Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative. China is ready to work with Arab countries to implement these initiatives, jointly uphold multilateralism, strengthen global governance, fully advance the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future, and practice a security vision that is common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable, so as to contribute to the regional and global lasting peace and universal security.

Thank you.