Madam Chair,

China supports the early accession of Arealess IAEA member states such as Kazakhstan to regional groups, allowing them to fully enjoy equal rights to participate in all aspects of the Agency's work, consistent with other member states. We are pleased that H.E. Amb. Gustavo, the Permanent Representative of Argentina, has assumed the new Chairmanship of the "Group of Friends of Arealess IAEA Member States." We hope that, based on the work of the previous two chairs, he will continue to find solutions for the inclusion of Arealess Member States into regional groups through friendly consultations. China encourages the relevant regional groups to demonstrate flexibility and actively admit Arealess member states.

The long-standing issue of Arealess member states not being resolved is fundamentally due to the fact that the composition of the IAEA Board of Governors has fallen far behind the times and cannot meet the urgent need for broader participation of member states, especially the increasing number of developing countries, in the Board's work. The expansion of the Board is the fundamental solution to this problem. China advocates that, first, member states should make further efforts to actively promote the accelerated ratification of the amendment to Article 6 of the Statute by more countries, facilitating the early entry into force of this amendment. At the same time, member states should engage in serious discussions on further expanding the scale of the Board, aiming to develop a more just, reasonable, and feasible solution that fundamentally addresses the legitimate concerns of member states, especially those from the Global South, regarding participation in the Board's work.

China is willing to join the broader membership in actively participating in these efforts.