President,

I thank Special Representative Simão for his briefing. China will continue to support the work of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the Special Representative.

At present, the situation in West Africa and the Sahel remains generally stable, with steady economic growth, but the region continues to face many challenges. The international community should increase its attention and support to help countries in the region address governance, security, and development challenges and consolidate the hard-won positive momentum. I would like to make three points.

First, we must spare no effort to safeguard political stability in the region. During the reporting period, countries in the region steadily advanced their political processes. Benin and Cabo Verde held peaceful elections, while Nigeria and The Gambia have been actively preparing for elections. Many countries made practical progress in constitutional, electoral, and governance reforms. The international community should continue to support countries in the region in preparing for elections, consolidating the gains of political transitions, strengthening governance capacity, and exploring development paths suited to their own national conditions. China welcomes the active engagement of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in dialogue with the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and encourages all parties concerned to continue engaging in frank communication, enhance mutual trust, dispel misunderstandings, bridge differences, and deepen cooperation, so as to inject more positive energy into regional political stability.

Second, we must continue strengthening regional counter-terrorism synergy. The counter-terrorism situation in the Sahel has become increasingly complex and severe. Terrorist groups have intensified attacks and infiltration into countries in the central Sahel, while continuously upgrading their weapons and tactics. The recent trend toward closer convergence between terrorist organizations and separatist armed groups in Mali deserves close attention. China firmly opposes terrorism in all its forms and strongly condemns attacks by terrorist organizations or individuals against civilians and critical infrastructure. Countries in the region should continue to strengthen cooperation in border management, intelligence sharing, and joint counter-terrorism operations, improve regional collective defense arrangements, and enhance their capacity to independently address security risks. Different counter-terrorism mechanisms should strengthen coordination and cooperation to generate greater synergy. The international community should provide support in funding, equipment, and technology to help countries in the region strengthen their security capabilities.

Third, we must comprehensively consolidate the foundations for regional development. For a long time, weak economic foundations, insufficient food production capacity, and high youth unemployment have continued to undermine the region's development resilience, creating conditions conducive to instability. We should adopt a holistic approach that addresses both symptoms and root causes. While providing humanitarian assistance and easing livelihood difficulties, greater investment should be made in modern agriculture, food security, youth employment, and infrastructure, so as to address development shortcomings, unleash endogenous growth drivers, and consolidate the gains of peace through sustainable development.

President,

China is a sincere friend and reliable partner of the countries of West Africa and the Sahel. Under frameworks such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China stands ready to continue deepening practical cooperation with countries in the region across various fields, continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness and security, and make greater contributions to lasting peace, development, and prosperity in the region.

I thank you, President.