Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Sunday made a statement on China's Participation in the UN Military Transparency Mechanism and its resumption of providing the requested data for the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms starting from this year.
The statement is as follows:
China has decided to report annually to the Secretary-General of the United Nations its military expenditures for the latest fiscal year, and resume providing the Secretary-General annually with the requested data for the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms starting from this year. These are two important decisions of the Chinese Government in the field of military transparency.
The Chinese Government has all along attached great importance to military transparency and made unremitting efforts in enhancing its military transparency and improving mutual trust with other countries. In accordance with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/44, the Chinese Government decides to report annually to the Secretary-General of the United Nations basic data of its military expenditures for the latest fiscal year. This is a significant step on the part of China in further enhancing its military transparency, which fully demonstrates that China is committed to improving mutual trust with other countries in the military field.
China has made important contributions to the establishment and development of the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. After the Register was established, China provided the Secretary-General of the United Nations annually with data on imports and exports of conventional arms in the seven categories covered by the Register. However, since 1996, a certain country had provided data on its arms sales to Taiwan province of China to the Register, which contradicted the spirit of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the objectives and principles of the Register. China was impelled to suspend its reporting to the Register. As the country concerned has stopped the above-mentioned behaviour, the Chinese Government decides to resume providing data annually on imports and exports of conventional arms in the seven categories to the Register from this year.
I would like to reiterate that the Chinese Government has all along taken a prudent and responsible attitude in its arms export and implemented strict controls on such exports according to its international obligations and domestic laws and regulations. China has always observed three principles in its arms export: the exports should be conducive to the legitimate self-defence capability of the recipient country; the exports should not undermine the peace, security and stability of the region concerned and the world as a whole; and the exports should not be used as a means of interfering in the internal affairs of the recipient country. China also makes explicit and strict requirements regarding the end-user of exported arms. The recipient country is not allowed to transfer the arms imported from China to any third party without the consent of China.
China's provision of data on military expenditure and imports and exports of conventional arms in the seven categories to the United Nations demonstrates that China pursues the new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation, and supports the important role played by the United Nations in promoting transparency in armaments and mutual trust in the field of security among States. China will continue to make joint efforts with the international community in promoting international peace and security.
(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2007)
