The representative of China called for close attention to the terrorist threat of the "East Turkestan Islamic Party"

Zhang Jun, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, called on the Security Council and the international community on the 9th to pay close attention to the continuing active and evolving terrorist threat of the "East Turkestan Islamic Party", cut off its connection with the extremist organization "Islamic State", and eradicate its space for breeding disasters.

Zhang Jun said at the open meeting of the Security Council on the issue of terrorist acts threatening international peace and security on the same day that the Islamic State continues to recruit from the "East Turkestan Islamic Party" and the Chinese side is deeply concerned about this. The EtIM is a terrorist organization designated by the 1267 Committee of the Security Council, which has carried out a number of inhumane terrorist attacks in China's Xinjiang region, causing a large number of innocent casualties. In recent years, the organization has developed in Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and other regions. The report notes that there are between 1,000 and 3,000 ETIM/Turkestan Islamic Party fighters in Syria who not only launch attacks on the ground, but also recruit, train and send terrorists to Central Asian countries and China to carry out terrorist attacks. China calls on the Security Council and the international community to pay close attention to "this continuingly active and evolving terrorist threat".

When talking about the new wave of terrorism, Zhang Jun said that the Islamic State is still active in Iraq, Syria, Libya and other regions, and has accelerated its spread in many parts of Africa. In Afghanistan, the withdrawal of foreign forces has led to a vacuum in the security situation, providing an opportunity for terrorist forces to take advantage of the chaos. China expects the Taliban to implement relevant counter-terrorism commitments and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a gathering place for terrorists again. China supports the international community in continuing to coordinate its actions to combat terrorism in all its forms.

Regarding the protection of civilians, Zhang Jun stressed that international law should be observed in counter-terrorism operations and the bottom line of protecting civilians should be adhered to. He called on the States concerned to give priority to the protection of civilians in counter-terrorism operations.

When talking about helping African countries strengthen counter-terrorism capacity-building, Zhang Jun said that China has always been committed to providing support for the capacity building of African countries at the forefront of counter-terrorism, which is a key funding area of the China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund. China has funded a number of projects implemented by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office (CTED) and the CTED of the Security Council to conduct counter-terrorism training for relevant African countries, provide counter-terrorism teaching materials and special counter-terrorism equipment, and hold cross-border counter-terrorism cooperation seminars.

Column Editor-in-Chief: Zhang Wu Text Editor: Li Linwei Title Image Source: Visual China Image Editor: Cao Liyuan

Source: Author: Xinhua News Agency