The representative of China expounded China’s position on Sudanese sanctions.

　　The United Nations Security Council voted on the 8th to adopt a resolution on sanctions against Sudan. Dai Bing, Chargé d ‘affaires of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations, explained China’s position after the vote.

　　On the same day, the Security Council adopted resolution 2676 with 13 votes in favor and 2 abstentions, extending the authorization of the expert group to assist the Sudan sanctions committee of the Security Council until March 12, 2024. Russia and China abstained.

　　Dai Bing said that since 2004, the Security Council has imposed sanctions on Darfur, Sudan, with the aim of ending the armed conflict in Darfur and helping Sudan return to peace and stability. With the joint efforts of all parties, the Transitional Government of Sudan and the rebels signed the Juba Peace Agreement in 2020, and the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur ended its authorization to withdraw from Darfur at the end of 2020. These positive developments show that the situation in Darfur has fundamentally improved, and the sanctions imposed by the Security Council on Sudan are outdated and should be lifted according to the development of the situation. Maintaining sanctions against Sudan is not only politically and safely untenable, but also limits the security capacity of the Sudanese government, which has a negative impact on maintaining stability, protecting civilians and cracking down on crime in Darfur.

　　Dai Bing said that the draft resolution approved two benchmarks for adjusting sanctions. This seems to be a road map for lifting sanctions, but in fact it is neither realistic nor feasible. China and some members initially proposed to discuss the establishment of benchmarks, aiming at creating conditions for lifting sanctions as soon as possible. However, the discussions in the Security Council in the past two years have made us feel that the relevant members have no intention of lifting the sanctions, but want to make the sanctions permanent by setting benchmarks that will never meet the standards. The draft resolution put forward by the author countries does not address the concerns in this regard.

　　Dai Bing pointed out that in recent years, the controversial nature of the Security Council sanctions mechanism has attracted increasing attention. Sanctions are an important tool entrusted to the Security Council by the Charter of the United Nations. The original purpose is to create conditions for the political settlement of related issues, but in practice, sanctions have increasingly become a substitute for diplomatic efforts and even a means of political pressure in some countries. Individual members also abused the status of the author and imposed country-specific positions on the Security Council. All this should not have happened, let alone continued. China once again calls for a comprehensive evaluation of the existing Security Council sanctions mechanism and the formulation of clear and feasible exit criteria. The Security Council should regularly review the relevant sanctions, and once they meet the standards, they should be adjusted or lifted in time. We should take advantage of this discussion on Sudan sanctions and seriously think about how to take measures to improve the design and implementation of Security Council sanctions.