UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese UN envoy on Tuesday called on the international community to remain vigilant and "keep a watchful" eye on the global threat of terrorism.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Chinese Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Wu Haitao said the world should foster an awareness of building a community of shared future for mankind and step up results-based cooperation in the joint fight against the threat of terrorism.
To this end, Wu said the purpose and principles of the UN charter should be upheld and the United Nations and the Security Council should be allowed to play a central role in coordinating counter-terrorism efforts.
He stressed the importance of taking a holistic approach by addressing the root causes as well as the symptoms of terrorism and focusing on eliminating the root causes.
He added that the international community should push for a political settlement of hotspot issues, assist member states in poverty reduction and eradication as well as sustainable development, and encourage dialogue and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations and religions on equal footing.
He underscored the need to step up international judicial cooperation and adopt tailored counter-terrorism measures in the light of emerging trends and new characteristics of terrorism.
He pointed out some prominent issues that need to be followed, including the diversified means of terrorist financing, the collusion of terrorist organizations with organized crime, and the abuse of the internet and communications technologies by terrorists.
Wu said the strength and expertise of relevant bodies and mechanisms should be fully leveraged, so that they can continue to contribute to terrorist threat assessments, capacity building efforts of member states and terrorist sanctions.
At the close of his remarks, the Chinese envoy said that as an important player on the international counter-terrorism front, China is deeply involved in counter-terrorism cooperation within the frameworks of the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and so on.
China has been supporting member states' counter-terrorism capacity building and carrying out fruitful cooperation with many member states, he said.
Before Wu spoke, Under-Secretary-General of the UN office of Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov briefed the Security Council on the secretary-general's report on the threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) to international peace and security.
He told the council that the terrorist group IS continues to aspire to global relevance with its covert network, regional recruitment and returnee activities.
The IS, despite its territorial defeat in Syria in March 2019, capitalizes on its affiliates and inspired attacks, and has an estimated residual wealth of up to 300 million U.S. dollars at its disposal, Voronkov said.
In the Middle East, he said, the IS continues to evolve into a covert network, launching an increasing number of attacks in areas controlled by the Syrian government and be responsible for ongoing insurgency reportedly designed to prevent normalization and reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
With regard to Africa, he said "there has been a striking increase in ISIL and al-Qaida-linked recruitment and violence in the west of the continent," using an alias of the terror group.
The IS' "West Africa Province" is now one of its strongest affiliates, with around 4,000 fighters, he added.
In Europe, he said, radicalization in prisons and the risk posed by returnees upon release from prison remain major concerns, which compound the risk of homegrown terrorism and inspired attacks.
In Asia, the IS is estimated to have between 2,500 and 4,000 fighters, he said, adding in Southeast Asia, the group's affiliates remain capable of launching attacks.
Citing the secretary-general's words in the report, Voronkov said the current lull in attacks directed by the IS may only be temporary.
"We need to remain vigilant to mitigate the risk posed by the evolution of the ISIL and its affiliates, deny it new recruits, and prevent its resurgence," he stressed.
He urged the UN member states to "keep a comprehensive and long-term perspective" in the fight against the IS, calling for political leadership and a principled approach based on international law.
