President, 

Let me begin by congratulating Colombia on assuming the Presidency of the Council for this month. I am confident that under your stewardship, Madam President, the Council will deliver its mandate effectively. You can count on the full support of the Chinese delegation. 

I thank Director Kayoko Gotoh for her briefing. 

China has taken note of the reports about a drone entering the Romanian airspace and resulting in injuries, as well as the statements and reactions from Romania, Russia, and other relevant sides. China consistently advocates for observing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter by all states in international relations, and hopes that the parties concerned will keep calm, exercise restraint, and engage in dialogue and communication to establish facts, address questions raised, and resolve disputes, with a view to avoiding misconceptions and miscalculations and preventing the incident from expanding and escalating. 

This incident is a result of the Ukraine crisis spilling over across borders. Recently, the Ukraine war has been on a spiral of escalation, not only taking an immense toll on the two parties concerned, but also implicating the security of neighboring states, further eroding the trust among countries in the region. If allowed to continue down this path of deterioration and escalation, or worse still, to spiral out of control, the situation is bound to result in irrevocable consequences. 

Ever since the crisis broke out, China has been consistently calling for no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of the fighting, and no provocation by any party. In light of the current circumstances, these three principles have now become particularly relevant. Countries in the region and the international community at large need to work together to facilitate deescalation and call for more level-headed and good-faith dialogue and engagement, and less confrontational rhetoric that inflames the situation. 

President, 

To prevent similar incidents from happening again, the only way out lies in politically settling the Ukraine crisis at an early date. Guided by the four shoulds put forward by President Xi Jinping, China has consistently been calling for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, promoting talks for peace, and facilitating a political settlement. It is our hope that the parties concerned will resume talks at the soonest, take seriously and address properly the legitimate security concerns of one another, and strive for the early conclusion of a peace agreement. China stands ready to work with the international community to continue playing a constructive role in seeking a political settlement of the crisis. 

Thank you.