President,

I congratulate the United Kingdom on assuming the Security Council presidency for this month, and welcome Mr. Elmore, the UK's Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for presiding over this meeting. I also congratulate Somalia on successfully completing its presidency last month. I thank Acting Under-Secretary-General Zouev and Executive Director Gherman for their briefings.  

Today, the increasing complexity of global terrorist threats, the occurrence of major attacks from time to time, and the terrorist organizations involving technological capabilities pose serious challenges to the international community's ability to respond effectively. We should uphold a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, maintain zero tolerance towards terrorism, firmly oppose selective counter terrorism and double standards, and strengthen unity and cooperation to forge a concerted effort against terrorism and safeguard international peace and security. I'll make three points.

First, the terrorist threat in Afghanistan must be taken seriously. At present, terrorist organizations such as ISIL, Al-Qaeda and the ETIM continue to operate on Afghan soil, posing persistent threats to the security of Afghanistan and its neighbors. Last month, an explosion at a Chinese restaurant in Afghanistan claimed seven lives and injured several others, an attack for which ISIL-K claimed responsibility. As noted in the SG report on the threat posed by ISIL to the international peace and security, the group continues to retain potent operational capabilities and intent to carry out terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. China calls on the Afghan government to attach great importance to the counter terrorism situation in the country, to take concrete and effective measures and to resolutely combat and eliminate the terrorist forces entrenched in Afghanistan so as to prevent the country from once again becoming a hub for terrorists. China supports the Central Asian countries and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in strengthening cooperation with Afghanistan to jointly address transnational terrorist threats, while also assisting Afghanistan in developing its economy and eradicating the root causes of terrorism.

Second, the counter terrorism task in Syria remains formidable. The security situation in the country remains fragile, while terrorist organizations such as ISIL and ETIM have taken advantage of the instability to expand their presence, recruit terrorist fighters and carry out frequent attacks, posing a threat to regional security. According to the SG's report, ISIL maintains thousands of combatants in Syria. The report of the 1267 Committee Monitoring Team indicates that ETIM also has several thousand militants operating in the country. The Syrian transitional government should fully fulfil its counter-terrorism obligations and resolutely combat ISIL, ETIM and all other terrorist entities listed by the Security Council to prevent terrorists from using Syrian territory to threaten the security of other states.

Third, Africa has become a pivotal region in global counter-terrorism efforts. As noted in SG's report, ISIL and its affiliates have strengthened their control in the West and Central Africa and the Sahel region with continuous access to funding, drones and other weapons and equipment, while intensifying online propaganda and recruitment, posing a grave threat to regional stability and security. The international community should, while fully respecting the sovereignty of the countries concerned, provide greater support to African states in areas such as financing, technology, equipment and intelligence. The UN and its partners should deepen cooperation with the African Union and other regional organizations to help enhance Africa's counter-terrorism capacity building. The Security Council should remain committed to advancing political solutions to the continent's hot spot issues, thereby continuously shrinking the space in which terrorist groups can operate.

President,

China commends UNOCT, CTED and the Monitoring Team of the 1267 committee, among others, for their positive contributions to advancing global counter-terrorism cooperation. We look forward to relevant UN bodies to further strengthening coordination and cooperation, so as to jointly promote implementation of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy and the related Security Council resolutions, and contributing to international counter-terrorism effort. The Council should continue to treat counter-terrorism as a priority and make full use of the sanction regimes established under resolutions 1267 and 2713.

Recently, the Balochistan Liberation Army and its Majid Brigade carried out a series of terrorist attacks in various parts of Pakistan, causing heavy civilian casualties. The Security Council has spoken out on this unanimously. China calls on the international community to provide strong support for Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts, and hopes that the Security Council will include BLA and its Majid Brigade in the 1267 sanction list as soon as possible.

For a long time, China has earnestly implemented the Global Security Initiative and actively supported international counter-terrorism cooperation. The China-UN Peace and Development Fund has supported counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel, funded the establishment of a UNOCT office in Kenya to assist African countries in using drone technology to strengthen their counter-terrorism capabilities, and supported Central Asian countries in enhancing early warning networks for counter terrorism.

We stand ready to continue working with all parties to resolutely combat terrorism in all its forms and to make greater contributions to building a world of lasting peace and universal security.

Thank you, President.