A Chinese official said in Geneva on Monday that China has
always attached great importance to the full and effective
implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
Addressing a meeting of BWC State Parties in Geneva, the head of
the Chinese delegation Wang Qun said China has been committed to
and made efforts to implement the BWC, with measures including
legislation, law enforcement, institution building and
participation in international cooperation.
He also made proposals at the meeting on how to strengthen
measures to fulfill obligations under the BWC.
Those proposals include establishing and perfecting the related
legislative system and ensuring strict law enforcement, setting up
effective mechanisms for implementation, strengthening publicity
and training work and actively participating in regional and
international cooperation.
Wang said since its entry into force in 1975, the BWC has played
an important role in banning and destroying biological weapons and
guarding against biological terrorism.
Facing new threats such as terrorism and infectious diseases,
countries should make full use of the multilateral platform
provided by the BWC to enhance cooperation and communication, Wang
said.
The BWC is more formally referred to as the Convention on the
Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of
Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, signed
in 1972 and which came into force in 1975.
The BWC was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an
entire category of weapons. It currently has 159 State Parties,
with a further 15 states having signed but not yet ratified.
China joined the BWC in 1984.
(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2007)
