UNITED NATIONS, June 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday stressed the need to carry forward the political process in Libya.

"Libya has long been mired in a political stalemate. Promoting the political process is the key to lasting stability in the country," said Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

China supports the active engagement of the UN secretary-general's special representative for Libya, Hanna Tetteh, with all Libyan parties and her mediation efforts to bridge political differences, he told the Security Council.

Last month, the Advisory Committee of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) put forward recommendations on promoting national elections. China hopes that UNSMIL will strengthen consultations with all parties in this regard, fully respect the will of the Libyan people, and build a broad consensus on how to move forward with national elections, he said.

China encourages the international community to continue to uphold the Libyan-led, Libyan-owned principle and make good use of all kinds of resources and tools to support the early conclusion of Libya's political transition and realization of its unity. China stands ready to continue to participate actively in the relevant process, he said.

Recently, the security situation in Libya has been unstable. The outbreak of armed collisions in Tripoli has made it clear that its security situation remains fragile and the maintenance of security and stability is still a top priority, said Sun.

"We encourage all parties in Libya to strengthen dialogue and communication and to establish comprehensive, lasting, and balanced security arrangements as soon as possible to prevent the recurrence of violent conflicts," he said. "The international community should provide full support and assistance in that regard."

Libya's economic challenges have intensified. Issues such as shortage of foreign exchange, inflation, and currency depreciation may affect social stability and bring about more unrest if they are not addressed promptly, warned Sun.

The international community should support Libya in speeding up public financial management reform and reaching a unified budget as soon as possible, so as to lay a good foundation for economic stabilization, he said.

Libya's frozen assets overseas are the common wealth of the Libyan people, and the relevant international financial institutions should protect and manage the frozen funds properly and respond positively to Libya's reasonable request for reinvestment of the funds. Libya is rich in oil and other resources and was once one of the better developed countries in Africa. China believes that with the support of the international community, the Libyan people will be able to embark on the road of rejuvenation at an early date, he said.

China is a good friend of Libya. China firmly supports Libyan efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and is ready to play a constructive role in its early realization of lasting peace, development, and revitalization, said Sun. ■