China expects all parties in Colombia will steadfastly implement the peace agreement to achieve national stability, peace and development in all aspects, said China's United Nations envoy Geng Shuang at a Security Council meeting on the peace process in Colombia on Tuesday.
At the meeting, the United Nations Security Council deliberated on Colombia's progress in implementing the peace agreement reached between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in August 2016.
"We expect and believe that all parties in Colombia, under the leadership of President Petro and the Colombian government, will demonstrate firm determination in implementing the agreement, overcome various difficulties and challenges, and form powerful resultant forces in the peace-building process, to ultimately achieve national stability, peace and development in all aspects," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council meeting.
According to the Chinese envoy, China proposed that Colombia should continuously unleash the dividends of development, consolidate the achievements of peace talks, and enhance its security capabilities.
"We support the Colombian government in effectively implementing policies to disarm armed groups and combat criminal gangs, increasing security force deployment in areas lacking effective control, and better protecting vulnerable groups such as former armed personnel, women, children, and ethnic minorities," Geng said.
In 2016, FARC, the largest anti-government guerrilla group in Colombia, signed a peace agreement with the government, ending over five decades of armed conflicts. However, some of its members splintered off, continuing to attack government forces, leading to a deadlock in the peace talks.