"China has consistently stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons," and "it is firmly committed to a nuclear strategy of self-defense and its nuclear weapons pose no threat to other countries," a senior Chinese diplomat said Tuesday.

Li Baodong, head of the Chinese delegation to the conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), made the statement when he was taking the floor at the conference, which entered its second day here Tuesday.

"We have adhered to the policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons at any time or under any circumstances, and made the unequivocal commitment that we will unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones," said Li, who is also the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations.

"This open, explicit and transparent nuclear policy makes China unique among all nuclear-weapon states. China has never deployed any nuclear weapons on foreign territory," he said. "China has not participated and will not participate in any form of nuclear arms race."

"China supports the early entry into force of the CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) and the early commencement of the negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty. China will continue to keep its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security, and continue to make efforts to advance the international nuclear disarmament process," he said.

"The entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty at an early date, and the early commencement of negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty are of great importance to advancing the nuclear disarmament process," he said. "The international community should continue to make even greater efforts to this end."

"Other nuclear-weapon states, when conditions are ripe, should also join the multilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament," he said. "The international community should develop, at an appropriate time, a viable, long-term plan composed of phased actions, including the conclusion of a convention on the complete prohibition of nuclear weapons."

The CTBT is the first treaty, in the form of international legal document, aimed to completely prohibit any nuclear weapon test explosion under any circumstances and in any place on the global scale.

The treaty, which was adopted in New York on Sept. 10, 1996, constrains the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons. It also provides for the establishment of a global verification system to monitor compliance with the treaty's provisions.

It becomes operational 180 days after 44 states, whose ratification is required under Annex II of the text, have ratified it. To date, 181 states have signed it and 150, including 35 of the Annex II States, have ratified it.

"To steadily promote nuclear disarmament is an important step towards the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, and requires unremitting efforts from all parties, " he said.

"All nuclear-weapon states should fulfill in good faith obligations under article VI of the NPT, and publicly undertake not to seek permanent possession of nuclear weapons," he said.

"We welcome the recent signing of the new bilateral nuclear disarmament treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation," Li said. "As countries with largest nuclear arsenals, the two should continue to make drastic reductions in their nuclear arsenals in a verifiable and irreversible manner, which will contribute to creating conditions for the ultimate realization of complete and thorough nuclear disarmament."

"Nuclear-weapon states should earnestly reduce the role of nuclear weapons in their respective national security policy, unequivocally undertake not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, and unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones," he said. "We call on all nuclear-weapon states to conclude an international legal instrument in this regard at an early date."

Nuclear disarmament must follow the principles of maintaining global strategic stability and undiminished security for all, he said. "The development of missile defense systems that disrupt global strategic stability should be abandoned. Multilateral negotiation process to prevent the weaponization of and arms race in outer space should be vigorously promoted."