UNITED NATIONS, March 11 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday stressed the role of regional organizations in the fight against terrorism in Africa.

African countries cannot go it alone in combating terrorism and extremism. The African Union and other relevant regional and sub-regional organizations have a more comprehensive knowledge of the countries in the region and their counter-terrorism needs and are uniquely positioned to help solve the issues of the continent, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

China supports African countries in coming together to empower themselves and tackle the threat of terrorism as one, he told an open debate of the Security Council.

"We shall continue to support the African Union's initiative of silencing the guns in Africa by 2020. It is our hope that the United Nations will scale up its coordination and cooperation with the African Union and other regional and sub-regional organizations, support African countries in actively implementing relevant Security Council resolutions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, step up the sharing of best practice and lessons learned and work in synergy."

China attaches great importance to the concerns of African countries and stands squarely behind African countries and regional organizations in their tireless efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism, said Zhang.

China is ready, along with the rest of the international community, to support and assist African countries in combating terrorism and extremism, and continue to contribute to peace, stability and development in Africa, said the Chinese ambassador.