A Chinese envoy on Thursday voiced opposition to unilateral sanctions against Fatou Bensouda, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and other officials.

China has noted that the ICC prosecutor and other officials are currently subject to unilateral sanctions. China consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that are not aligned with international law, said Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

At the same time, China hopes that the ICC will strictly abide by the principle of complementarity in the exercise of its jurisdiction, truly respect the judicial sovereignty of states and refrain from interfering in any country's internal affairs, Dai told the Security Council, which heard a briefing on Sudan by Bensouda.

Regarding issues involving Sudan, the legitimate and reasonable demands of the government of Sudan and the African Union should be taken seriously, and the sovereignty of Sudan and the opinions of the Sudanese authorities should be fully respected, he said.

Recently, Sudan's peace process and political transition have registered important progress. China welcomes the official signing of the Juba Peace Agreement between the Transitional Government of Sudan and relevant parties. This represents a crucial step in Sudan's transition process, as well as an important opportunity for Sudan to achieve comprehensive, lasting peace, he said.

China encourages the signatories to the peace agreement to earnestly fulfill their commitments and promote the full implementation of the agreement. China also calls on the parties that have not yet signed the agreement to join the peace process as soon as possible, he said. "We hope that all parties will work together to realize the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding in Sudan."