Chinese envoy urges Somali parties to stay committed to resolving differences through dialogue

A Chinese envoy to the United Nations (UN) on Thursday called on all Somali parties to keep up the momentum, strengthen dialogue and unity, and stay committed to resolving differences through dialogue.

In remarks at the UN Security Council briefing on Somalia, Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, noted that in recent years, Somalia has made important headway in national reconstruction and peace and security, and both the UN and African Union (AU) missions have entered a critical transition period.

At this important stage, the support and assistance of the international community cannot relax, Dai said.

He emphasized three points -- maintaining the overall situation of political stability; strengthening the foundation of security transition; and advancing UNSOM (UN Assistance Mission in Somalia) transition in an orderly manner.

Underscoring that the Somali federal government has maintained communication with the governments of federal member states and reached important consensus on the constitution, elections, and political parties, the ambassador said, "We expect all Somali parties to keep up the momentum, strengthen dialogue and unity, and stay committed to resolving differences through dialogue. China has consistently supported the efforts of the Somali government to safeguard national unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and calls on the international community to support the country in exploring a development path that suits its national conditions, and provide guarantees for Somalia to embark on the path of long-term and stable development."

James Swan, acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), briefed on the Secretary-General’s latest 120-day report on the implementation of the mission's mandate, in which it documented 850 security incidents, resulting in at least 670 casualties.

The Chinese envoy said that the Secretary-General's report reflects a significant security threat posed by terrorism. China fully recognizes the Somalian government efforts in combating terrorism and calls on the international community to provide more support for Somalia's security capacity building.

Dai noted that in the next phase, ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) will transition into a new AU mission, and expressed the hope that Somalia, the AU, the UN, and others will strengthen their communication and coordination to reach consensus on new mission arrangements and to ensure the smooth progress of the relevant work.

He stated that under-funding is an important challenge to AU missions' mandate performance, and he called on the European Union and other traditional donors to maintain their funding for the new mission and continue to contribute to the security and stability of Somalia.

Dai also urged the Security Council to respond to the initiative of the AU and actively study various effective options to provide sustainable and predictable financial support for the new mission. Noting that the Somali government has repeatedly called for the transition of UNSOM to a UN country team, and has recently submitted a two-year transition proposal to the Security Council, the ambassador called on the council to use this as a base and, in line with Somalia's national development priorities, adjust and streamline UNSOM's mandate, with a view to ensuring a smooth and orderly transition.

"China supports the peace and development process in Somalia, as well as the enhancement of Somalia's capacity for autonomous development, counter-terrorism, and stability. We will continue to provide support to international peacekeeping operations in Somalia. China is willing to work with the international community to continue to contribute to lasting peace and sustainable development in Somalia," Dai stated.

Chinese envoy urges Somali parties to stay committed to resolving differences through dialogue

Malaysia's closer cooperation with China in sectors like trade, tourism and the emerging industries have been helping propel the Southeast Asian nation's growth "to greater heights," said Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Malaysian Transport Minister, in commenting on the two countries' efforts to keep pushing forward the development of bilateral relations more comprehensively.

The minister made the statement in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Tuesday, saying that Malaysia has been benefiting from the huge Chinese market, and that as cooperation between the two countries extends from sectors like trade and tourism to the more broader emerging industries, the growth of Malaysia will reach "greater heights."

China has been Malaysia's biggest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. Going forward the two sides will strengthen cooperation in the emerging sectors like artificial intelligence, high-end manufacturing, the semi-conductor industry, the digital economy, and green development, according to a joint statement released by the two sides in June.

"As far as Malaysia is concerned, we have benefited from the opening up of China. You can have access to the Chinese market, which is huge, for a country like Malaysia. We have a lot of trade, movement between Malaysia and China and not only in terms of goods, but in terms of movement of people, for example, and you have an influx of millions of Chinese visitors to Malaysia every year right now. Increasingly, we have seen a lot of manufacturing. Recently, we also have seen a lot of high-end products, including semiconductors, including investment into data centers, digital economy and so forth. So, all these growths, of course, propel Malaysia to greater heights," said the minister.

The two countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in rail transportation and in infrastructure construction, the joint statement said, noting that key projects like the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and "Two Countries, Twin Parks" should be the focuses.

The ECRL is a joint venture between Malaysia and China, said the minister, adding that if the project stands as successful program of cooperation between the two countries, it will encourage a greater presence of Chinese business in Malaysia.

"East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is a Belt and Road Initiative project. It's a huge project. A railway network of more than 650 kilometers. And more significantly is that the operational model that it's a joint venture between Malaysia and China. In the case of the ECRL, the Chinese side is prepared to even operate with us together. So, they are sharing the risks with us and it is to their benefit to ensure the success of the project. What I mean by success is Number One, the utilization of the tracks, the utilization of the railway must reach optimum point. And if you want to achieve, you have to ensure that there are more industrialization along the railway network. So, this is something which I think the Chinese government looks at it strategically, so, to ensure the success of the project together with Malaysia and also encourage more Chinese companies to set up their base along the railway network," he said.

Once being put into operation, the ECRL will see a railway network that connects the eastern and the western coasts of Malaysia, greatly promoting economic development in the country's east coast region and enhancing the connectivity of the regions along the railway network.

As of mid-August, over 70 percent of the project had been finished, according to its contractor China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC).

Closer cooperation with China propels Malaysia "to greater heights": minister