Dai Bing, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, said in his speech at the Security Council open debate on women, peace and security on the 15th that peace is the best protection for women. Dai Bing pointed out that women and other vulnerable groups bear the brunt of armed conflict. Crisis response and humanitarian relief are not the end of efforts. The international community must adhere to the fundamental direction of political settlement, work to eliminate the root causes of conflict and increase efforts to promote peace. When talking about the situation of women and children in the conflict in Ukraine, Dai Bing said that China encourages the EU to play its due role in creating conditions for the parties to negotiate directly and restore peace. China supports the coordinated actions of the United Nations, the European Union and countries in relevant regions to ensure the safety of lives and property and basic humanitarian needs of Ukrainian civilians, including women and children, and effectively combat human trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse against women and children refugees. Dai Bing said that the progress of women's cause cannot be separated from a stable political environment. Since last year, important political changes have taken place in many countries from Asia to Africa, including the chain reaction caused by the hasty withdrawal of foreign troops and the outbreak of contradictions caused by the acclimatization of foreign governance models. While the international community is worried about the erosion of women's rights and interests and the retrogression of gender equality, it should also see that supporting relevant countries to explore a development path in line with their national conditions is the only way for these countries to maintain political stability. Dai Bing said that we should respect the sovereignty and dominance of all countries and oppose external interference and the imposition of external solutions. We should encourage regional programmes based on regional realities, support the African Union, ASEAN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the West African community and other organizations to give full play to their roles, and provide constructive assistance for the political transition and internal dialogue of relevant countries. Local women and women's organizations should be supported to participate in the peace process in combination with specific conditions, and women's representation and voice in peace negotiations and political arrangements should be guaranteed. Dai Bing said that the comprehensive development of women is the fundamental goal of the women, peace and security agenda. The United Nations and relevant regional organizations should give priority to development, make greater efforts on women's poverty, underdevelopment and other issues, help more women shake off poverty and hunger, achieve economic autonomy, and create favorable conditions for effective participation in the peace process. (Xinhua News Agency)