Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the appeal at the Security Council meeting on peace and security in Africa.

Although the overall situation in Central and West Africa remains stable, security problems and humanitarian situation in the region "remain very serious," he said.

"Repeated terrorist attacks and displaced civilians, together with violent crimes -- all pose a threat to security and stability of the region," he added.

Noting that African counter-terrorism efforts constitute a very important component of international counter-terrorism endeavors, Wu said the international community should actively assist countries in the region in their capacity building to fight terrorism and to enable the multinational joint task force to effectively conduct operations to further eliminate the sources of terrorism in the region.

The international community must respect the leading role of the regional organizations in addressing problems and make good use of the unique expertise and advantages of those organizations "with a view to building synergies and promoting proper solutions to regional hot-spot issues," he said.

The international community should provide financial and technical assistance to those countries on the basis of respecting their sovereignty so that they could truly build their capacities to promote economic and social development, Wu said.

China is ready to work with the international community and countries concerned to support countries in Central and West Africa in their efforts to achieve lasting peace and common prosperity and make contributions to peace and development in Africa.