| In recent years, some positive progress has
been made in the fields of international arms control, disarmament and
non-proliferation, but the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
(WMD) and their means of delivery and other issues have become major factors
affecting the international security situation. The Chinese government
maintains that the international community should safeguard the international
regime of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties, promote
its universality and reinforce its effectiveness and authority; that it
should persist in multilateralism and give full play to the role and influence
of the multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaty
organs; that it should strive to meet the challenges brought about by
the proliferation of WMD through political and diplomatic means on the
basis of the existing international laws; and that it should address both
the symptoms and root causes and adopt comprehensive measures, which means
that it should take into consideration security threats such as proliferation
of WMD while not neglecting the social and economic root causes of such
threats.
Committed to the Non-Proliferation Efforts
The proliferation of WMD and their means of delivery is detrimental to
world peace and security, so is it to China's own security. Non-proliferation
is in the common interest of all countries, including China, and it has
become an international consensus.
China attaches great importance to non-proliferation. It pursues a policy
of not supporting, not encouraging and not assisting other countries to
develop WMD. It resolutely opposes the proliferation of WMD and actively
participates in the diplomatic efforts of the international community
to deal with non-proliferation issues. The Chinese government published
a white paper entitled China's Non-Proliferation Policy and Measures in
December 2003.
China has put in place a comprehensive legal system for non-proliferation
export control, covering the exports of nuclear, biological, chemical,
missile and other sensitive items and technologies. It has adopted the
international export control measures, including export registration system,
end-user and end-use certification system, licensing system, list control
method and "catch-all" principle, and has stipulated corresponding
penalties for breaches of these laws and regulations. China's non-proliferation
export control measures are basically in conformity with the current international
practice.
The relevant departments in China have adopted and will continue to adopt
forceful measures to ensure the implementation of the relevant regulations
and laws. China has set up an inter-agency approval and coordination mechanism
on export control and a national expert supporting system for export control.
It has promulgated and implemented the Export Licensing Catalogue of Sensitive
Items and Technologies. It is revising the related regulations on non-proliferation
export control and the corresponding control lists, and has set up an
emergency coordination mechanism in order to promptly and effectively
handle proliferation contingencies. It imposes penalties on activities
which violate the non-proliferation export control laws and regulations.
China has actively developed its relations with relevant multilateral
export-control regimes. It has formally joined the Nuclear Suppliers Group
and has applied for its accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime.
China has established a dialogue mechanism with the Wassenaar Arrangement
and kept contact with the Australia Group. It has also strengthened information
exchanges and law-enforcement cooperation on non-proliferation with relevant
countries.
China is in favor that the United Nations plays its due role in the non-proliferation
field, and hopes that the UN Security Council Resolution 1540 on non-proliferation
will be implemented effectively. In October 2004, China submitted a report
on Chinese government's implementation of the Resolution to the Security
Council's Non-proliferation Commission. China takes an open attitude toward
all proposals that may help safeguard and strengthen the international
non-proliferation regime, and is ready to have in-depth discussions with
other parties in this regard.
Promoting the International Arms Control and
Disarmament Process
At present, the key to pushing forward the international arms control
and disarmament process is to break the deadlock at the Conference on
Disarmament (CD) in Geneva. In August 2003, China announced that it accepted
the amended mandate of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Prevention of an Arms
Race in Outer Space (PAROS) in the Five Ambassadors' Proposal, and is
ready to participate in reaching consensus through consultation on the
Five Ambassadors' Proposal on the Program of Work. It hopes that the other
parties concerned would give positive response.
China supports the Conference on Disarmament in its efforts to start
substantive work on the following four topics: nuclear disarmament, the
Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon
states, and prevention of an arms race in outer space.
China consistently stands for complete prohibition and thorough destruction
of nuclear weapons. It always pursues a policy of no first use of nuclear
weapons, and undertakes unconditionally not to use or threaten to use
nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free
zones. China did not and will never engage in a nuclear arms race with
any other country. It supports the international community in its efforts
to start substantive discussions on nuclear disarmament.
The FMCT is of great significance to preventing the proliferation of
nuclear weapons and facilitating the nuclear disarmament process. China
supports an early conclusion of the treaty through negotiations.
In the current situation, the importance and urgency of providing security
assurances for non-nuclear-weapon states has become more prominent. China
supports the negotiation and conclusion of an international legally binding
instrument on this issue. China is the only country among the five nuclear
weapon states to commit itself not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons
against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. China
appeals to the four other nuclear weapon states to make the same commitment.
Outer space is the common property of mankind. China hopes that the international
community would take action as soon as possible to conclude an international
legal instrument on preventing the weaponization of and arms race in outer
space through negotiations, to ensure the peaceful use of outer space.
China favors discussions on and settlement of issues such as "terrorism
and WMD," "radioactive weapons" and "observance of
international treaties on disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation"
within multilateral arms control framework.
In the other international multilateral arms control processes, China
has continued to play a constructive role. It has taken an active part
in the multilateral efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the Biological
Weapons Convention (BWC), thus assuming a positive role in maintaining
and pushing forward the multilateral arms-control process in the biological
field. China supports the efforts of the ASEAN countries, the Central
Asian countries and other neighboring countries to establish nuclear-weapon-free
zones and has reached agreement in principle with the ASEAN countries
on the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty,
and participated in the consultations between the five nuclear weapon
states and the Central Asian countries on the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free
Zone Treaty and its protocol. It also participated in the First (Disarmament)
Committee sessions of the UN General Assembly, the UN Disarmament Commission
meetings, the preparatory committee sessions for the 2005 Review Conference
of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
(NPT), and the sessions of the Conference of the States Parties to the
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and its first review conference.
Fulfilling International Arms Control and Disarmament
Obligations
China conscientiously honors the NPT, consistently stands for maintaining
its authority and promoting its universality.
China supports and participates in the safeguards system of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). China was the first among the five nuclear
weapon states to have completed the domestic legal procedures necessary
for the entry into force of the Protocol Additional to the Agreement Between
China and IAEA for the Application of Safeguards in China.
The Chinese government firmly upholds the Comprehensive Nuclear Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT) and supports its early entry into force. Before the
treaty becomes effective, China will stay committed to the moratorium
on nuclear testing. China attaches great importance to the work of the
Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization
(CTBTO), and supports and takes part in its work.
China continues to earnestly fulfill its obligations under the CWC, and
received 11 inspections by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons in 2003. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has started
to implement China's obligations under the Convention, and the Macao Special
Administrative Region has stepped up the relevant preparatory work. In
the same year, China continued to submit report to the United Nations
on its confidence-building measures in accordance with the BWC.
Today, large quantities of chemical weapons abandoned by Japan remain
on Chinese soil, which pose a grave threat to the lives and property of
the Chinese people and to the ecological environment. China urges Japan
to earnestly fulfill its obligations under the CWC for the destruction
of these weapons, and commence as soon as possible the substantive destruction
process in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding Between the
Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of Japan
on the Destruction of the Chemical Weapons Abandoned by Japan in China.
Participating in Humanitarian Efforts in the
Arms Control Field
China supports the leading role played by the United Nations in combating
the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW), and attaches
great importance to and conscientiously implements the Program of Action
adopted at the UN Conference on SALW. It supports the negotiation and
conclusion of an international instrument on identifying and tracing illicit
SALW, and participates in the negotiations with a constructive attitude.
China signed the Firearms Protocol in 2002, and is now making preparations
for the ratification of the protocol.
The Chinese government continues to support and take part in the work
of the Group of Governmental Experts of the Convention on Certain Conventional
Weapons, and has contributed to the progress made so far in the work.
Having ratified the amendment to Article 1 of the Convention, China is
now preparing to ratify the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War.
China attaches great importance to the solution of the humanitarian issue
arising from landmines. While strictly implementing the Amended Landmine
Protocol, it is strengthening communications and exchanges with the states
parties to the Ottawa Convention. China continues to provide assistance
in international mine clearance efforts. After providing assistance to
Eritrea in this regard in 2002, China sent another group of mine clearance
experts to that country to give guidance on de-mining operations in 2003,
trained a total of 120 mine clearance specialists for Eritrea, and provided
Eritrea with de-mining equipment. China joined the Mine Action Supporting
Group, headquartered in New York, in 2003. China and the Australian Network
of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) co-sponsored the
Humanitarian Mine/UXO Clearance Technology and Cooperation Workshop in
Kunming, Yunnan Province, in April 2004.
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