China has called on the international community to act with greater urgency and take stronger measures to protect civilians in armed conflicts, said a Chinese envoy.

Speaking at a United Nations Security Council high-level open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Sun Lei, said that behind the statistics of civilian suffering are countless individuals caught in the flames of war, hanging by a thread between life and death, and families torn apart, separated from their loved ones.