China always supports settlement of African issues in African ways by Africa, said Li Baodong, Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations here on Monday after China abstained from the vote on the draft resolution tightening sanctions on Eritrea.

Li made the remarks after the Security Council adopted the resolution 2023, condemning Eritrea’s alleged provision of support to armed opposition groups in the Horn of Africa region, including Al-Shabaab, and imposing further sanctions on the country. The draft resolution received 13 votes in favor, none against and two abstentions from China and Russia.

Li told the Council that China has followed closely the situation in the Horn of Africa, understood the concerns of the relevant countries over the security situation in the region, and opposed all words and acts that may jeopardize regional peace and stability.

Li noted that China always supports settlement of African issues in African ways by Africa. “We stand for solidarity among African countries and appropriate settlement of their disputes through dialogue and negotiations. We hope the African Union and other regional organizations play a positive role in this regard. We will continue to firmly support the constructive efforts made by the relevant countries and regional organizations to maintain peace in the region, and will continue to do what we can to offer our assistance,” he said.

Concerning sanctions, Li made it clear that China has all along adopted a prudent attitude toward sanctions. “We believe sanctions, instead of achieving expected results,may often lead to further complication of the situation and affect the economic development and welfare of the recipient country,” he said.

China maintains that the relevant Security Council actions concerning the Horn of Africa should be conducive to improvement in relations among countries in the region, settlement of disputes by parties concerned through dialogue and negotiations, and maintenance of regional peace and stability, Li stressed.

“Under this basic principle, China has taken an active and constructive part in consultations on the draft resolution. Some of China’s amendments are reflected in the text of the draft resolution, but we believe there is still room for improvement,” Li said. “Regrettably, however, the rush to vote on the draft resolution has resulted in its ultimate failure to reflect some of the major and legitimate concerns of many Security Council members, China included.”

For instance, the implementation of due diligence guidelines is not mature yet, and the effect of its implementation on other issues has yet to be observed. The Sanctions Committee of the Security Council should have further study and exploration of the issue, he added.