FM Spokeswoman: China Concerned over US Planned Withdrawal from ABM

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 14, 2001

FM Spokeswoman: China Concerned over US Planned Withdrawal from ABM

China is opposed to the buildup of a national missile defense system by the United States,and is concerned over its plan to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

It is a matter of great importance to maintain the international system of arms control and disarmament and the world's strategic balance and stability, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue at a press conference in Beijing on December 13.

China opposed to US's national missile defense system plan

China is opposed to the buildup of a national missile defense system by the United States,and is concerned over its plan to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

US should listen to advice from international community

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing on December 13. She said it is a matter of great importance to maintain the international system of arms control and disarmament and the world's strategic balance and stability.

China hoped that the US will listen to the advice from the international community, and take careful steps on the issue of the ABM treaty, she said.

ABM a world hope

Zhang said that the United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for joint efforts to strengthen and preserve the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty for consecutive three years. On November 29, the United Nations General Assembly once again passed the resolution, which fully demonstrated that the world hoped to keep the resolution and its function of maintaining worldpeace and stability, said Zhang.

Solutions hoped through constructive dialogue

She pointed out that China and the United States are important countries in the world, sharing same responsibilities and interests in maintaining the global peace. She added, China is always ready to join hands with the international community for the issue concerned, and hopes that the countries concerned could find solutions through constructive dialogue.

TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS ON THE LIMITATION OF ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE SYSTEMS

Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense (ABM) Treaty

Signatory States: United States and (former) Soviet Union

Entered into Force: October 1972

The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty sets limits on the number and location of anti-ballistic missile systems of the former Soviet Union and the United States. The ABM Treaty prevents the deployment of defenses against long-range strategic ballistic missiles, thus removing one incentive for a nuclear arms race. In 1972, both governments believed that such defenses would not reliably work but would nevertheless drive the other side to build or retain large numbers of offensive strategic weapons, ensuring the ability to overwhelm such defenses, even in a second-strike retaliatory role. Each side to the ABM Treaty undertakes:

not to deploy ABM systems for a defense of the territory of its country;

not to provide a base for such a defense;

not to deploy ABM systems for defense of an individual region except at one specified site each;

not to develop, test, or deploy multiple interceptor missile launchers or rapid reload capability for ABM launchers;

not to develop, test, or deploy ABM systems or components that are sea-based, air-based, space-based, or mobile land-based;

not to give missiles, launchers, or radars, other than ABM interceptor missiles, ABM launchers or ABM radars, capabilities to counter strategic ballistic missiles or their elements in flight trajectory and not to test them in an ABM mode; and

not to transfer to other States, and not to deploy outside its national territory, ABM systems or their components.

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