UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for concerted global efforts to combat terrorism, warning that increasingly complex terrorist threats pose severe challenges.
The international community should uphold a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and maintain zero tolerance toward terrorism, Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council.
"We should strengthen unity and cooperation to forge concerted efforts against terrorism," he said, stressing that selective counter-terrorism and double standards should be firmly opposed.
China urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete and effective measures to resolutely combat and eliminate the terrorist forces entrenched in Afghanistan, so as to prevent the country from relapsing into a hub for terrorists, Sun added.
Sun noted that the security situation in Syria remains fragile and the counter-terrorism task remains formidable. He emphasized the need to prevent terrorists from using Syrian territory to threaten the security of other countries.
"The Syrian transitional government should fully fulfill its counter-terrorism obligations and resolutely combat the Islamic State, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and all other terrorist entities listed by the Security Council," he said.
As Africa has become a pivotal region in global counter-terrorism efforts, China calls on the international community to provide greater support to African countries in financing, technology, equipment and intelligence.
He also urged the Security Council to advance political solutions to the continent's hot-spot issues, thereby continuously shrinking the space in which terrorist groups can operate.
Recently, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its affiliate, Majid Brigade, have carried out a series of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, causing heavy civilian casualties. Sun called on the international community to strongly support Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts and urged the Security Council to list the BLA and Majid Brigade on its sanctions list as soon as possible.
China stands ready to continue working with all parties to resolutely combat terrorism in all its forms and make greater contributions to building a world of lasting peace and universal security, he said. ■
