UNITED NATIONS, July 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday asked for efforts to promote peace through development in Colombia.

China is of the view that in order to fully, effectively and sustainably implement the peace agreement in Colombia, focus should be on a proper balance and synergy between development and security, said Yao Shaojun, minister counselor of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Development and security are interdependent and inseparable. The development perspective should be stressed to promote peace through development, he told the Security Council.

Rural reform, development programs, and poverty relief and eradication feature prominently in the Colombian peace agreement. They also represent a conclusive approach to tackling the root causes of the conflict, he said.

China encourages the Colombian government to overcome the difficulties, carry on the development programs, and ramp up its efforts to promote balanced, inclusive, and sustainable development, especially by helping those who have no land or insufficient land to gain access to it.

China supports the efforts of the Colombian government to strengthen infrastructure development in territories most affected by the conflict, including transport, irrigation, and electricity, and to provide essential public services, including education, health care, and housing, in order to narrow the urban-rural disparities and those between territories, said Yao.

The Security Council was hearing a briefing from Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Colombia.