UN envoy: China supports formation of Congo's new government

A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday said China supports the smooth formation of the new government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the adoption of its three-year program of action.

The current political situation in the DRC is generally positive, Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told a UN Security Council meeting on the DRC.

The formation of the country's new government and its adoption of the three-year program of action demonstrate the firm resolve of President Felix Tshisekedi and the DRC government to maintain national peace and stability, promote reforms, improve people's livelihood and enhance governance capacity, Dai said.

"China expects all parties in the DRC to unite as one and work together to achieve these goals," the envoy added.

The security situation in eastern DRC remains grim with armed violence continuing unabated, Dai noted. It's hoped that the DRC government will promote the disarmament, demobilization, community reintegration and stabilization program so that militants will lay down their weapons, reintegrate into society and the root causes of conflict and violence can effectively be addressed.

At the same time, countries in the region should strengthen cooperation to jointly deal with the illegal exploitation and trade of natural resources and prevent the cross-border movement of weapons, ammunition and combatants, the envoy stressed.

The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the special envoy to the secretary-general for the Great Lakes Region have made "tremendous efforts" to advance the solution of security issues in South Kivu and implement the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) program in the region, Dai noted.

"China highly commends these efforts and hopes that the various entities of the UN system will work closely together to support the DRC and regional countries in responding comprehensively to the security challenges," he said.

Due to the effect of the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ebola epidemic, the DRC is facing severe humanitarian challenges, Dai said.

China has noted that the International Monetary Fund and the DRC government have signed a relevant credit program, Dai said.

China hopes that the international community will honor its commitments for assistance, help the DRC rebuild its economy, improve people's livelihoods and the humanitarian situation and enhance its capacity to respond to epidemic and natural disasters, the envoy said.

MONUSCO has done a lot for stabilizing the security situation in eastern DRC, Dai said. China hopes the agency will enhance its capacity to protect and strengthen communication with local people to increase their trust and support for MONUSCO.

MONUSCO has already withdrawn from Kasai province in accordance with the drawdown strategy, Dai said. China hopes that the DRC government and the entities of the UN system on the ground will jointly increase their input into peacebuilding.

Noting that a Malawi peacekeeper was attacked and killed recently, Dai said China strongly condemns attacks against peacekeepers and calls for better protection of the safety and security of peacekeepers in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2518.

"China will continue to support the efforts of the DRC government to achieve long term peace and stability in the country and is ready to work with all parties to make a positive contribution to peace, stability and development in the DRC," Dai said.