President,

I thank Special Representative Hannah Tetteh for her briefing and support her work. I welcome the Permanent Representative of Libya to today’s meeting.

Recently, with the support of the United Nations and other international partners, Libya has made progress in political dialogue, while the security situation has remained generally under control. However, Libya still needs to overcome many difficulties before it can truly end divisions, complete the transition, and achieve lasting peace and stability. The international community should continue to provide Libya with coordinated and consistent support. I would like to make three points.

First, the political deadlock must be broken as soon as possible. Recently, the agreement reached through the UNSMIL-facilitated 4+4 Smaller Convening marked important progress in implementing the Political Roadmap. China hopes that the agreement will help unify Libya’s state institutions and lay the foundation for national elections and the completion of the political transition. At the same time, whether the agreement can be truly implemented fundamentally depends on whether it can gain broad support from all Libyan parties. With regard to the remaining differences, UNSMIL should continue to take an inclusive and open approach, strengthen communication with the parties concerned, encourage them to demonstrate political will, and prevent differences from leading to a new deadlock or exacerbating new tensions. In supporting Libya’s political process, particularly on major issues such as establishing a single executive authority and unified state institutions, the international community must uphold the Libyan-led and Libyan-owned principle, encourage major political forces to keep the overall interests in mind, move toward each other, deepen consensus, and avoid imposing external solutions.

Second, every effort must be made to safeguard overall stability. Libya’s security situation is closely linked to its political process. Any new armed conflict could undermine hard-won mutual trust and render political efforts futile. Recently, attacks on energy facilities have continued in western Libya, and the resulting tensions are a cause for concern. The parties concerned should stop the attacks and refrain from taking any action that could lead to a deterioration of the situation. The unification of military and security institutions is crucial to maintaining a lasting ceasefire and is also an important condition for ensuring the smooth conduct of elections and the transfer of power. We support the eastern and western sides in strengthening dialogue, building mutual trust, and accelerating this process. On the basis of respecting Libya’s sovereignty and ownership, the international community should provide greater support to Libya in strengthening border management, combating transnational criminal networks, and curbing the illicit flow of weapons.

Third, economic governance and people’s livelihoods must be improved. At present, Libya’s oil exports remain generally stable, but oil smuggling remains rampant and fiscal expenditure still lacks unified management. The international community should call on all Libyan parties to fully implement the unified budget framework, strengthen fiscal transparency and independent oversight, and make greater efforts to support Libya in combating oil smuggling, so as to ensure that Libya’s oil revenues are used for national development and the well-being of its people. Recently, Libya has experienced shortages of electricity, water, fuel, and other essential supplies. International partners should, in light of Libya’s actual needs, support the Libyan authorities in improving public services and advancing development and reconstruction, and strengthen public confidence in national unity, stability, and development.

President,

UNSMIL’s mandate is due for renewal soon. The Security Council should continue to uphold the central role of the United Nations in advancing Libya’s political process, support the Special Representative and UNSMIL in sustaining their efforts in political mediation, promoting stability, and strengthening governance, improve the quality and efficiency of their work, and optimize UNSMIL’s mandate in light of the latest developments, so as to better support Libya in advancing its political transition and achieving development and stability. As a good friend of Libya, China stands ready to continue working with all parties and make greater efforts to help Libya achieve lasting peace and stability and enable its people to live and work in peace and contentment at an early date.

Thank you, President.