China supports Colombia in continuing to implement peace agreement: envoy

UNITED NATIONS - Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Tuesday that China supports the Colombian government in continuing to effectively implement the peace agreement.

China supports the government in "strengthening national governance, maintaining security and stability, vigorously developing economy, improving people's well-being, resolving differences through peaceful means, promoting social reconciliation and creating favorable conditions for the smooth holding of next year's election," Geng told the Security Council quarterly meeting on the situation in the country.

As has been the case with previous regular Council meetings on Colombia, Tuesday's briefing focused on various aspects of the implementation of the November 2016 peace agreement between the government of Colombia and the former rebel group FARC-EP, including the security situation in the country, transitional justice processes and the reintegration of former FARC combatants.

Geng stressed that China supports the Colombian Government in striving to overcome the pandemic-related difficulties, speeding up land reforms, addressing poverty, social injustice and underdevelopment in rural areas, strengthening security measures, and comprehensively cracking down on armed groups and organized crimes.