China Calls for Int'l Efforts in Arms Control: White Paper

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 09, 2002

China Calls for Int'l Efforts in Arms Control: White Paper

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China is willing to contribute to the maintenance of the legal system for international arms controland disarmament, and the advancement of the process of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, together with the international community, says a white paper issued Monday.

A series of achievements were made in the field of international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation after the Cold War, says the paper titled "China's National Defense in 2002."

However, this momentum has been hampered by a host of negative developments in recent years. In the current situation, it is vitally important to maintain the global strategic balance and stability and the legal system governing international arms control and disarmament, says the paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council.

China advocates, as it has always, the complete prohibition andthorough destruction of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.It has pledged that at no time and under no circumstances would itbe the first to use nuclear weapons, and it would not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.

China has consistently urged all nuclear-weapon states to enshrine these commitments in a legal form, says the paper.

China holds that the countries with the largest nuclear arsenals bear a special and primary responsibility toward nuclear disarmament, and that they should take the lead in drastically reducing their nuclear arsenals and destroy the reduced nuclear weapons.

The white paper says China welcomes the new treaty signed by the United States and Russia on the reduction of their offensive strategic weapons, and hopes that these two countries will adopt effective measures to ensure the "verifiability" and "irreversibility" of nuclear disarmament, and continue to further the process of nuclear disarmament, so as to genuinely promote world peace and stability.

It is China's consistent view that maintaining the global strategic stability and the international system of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation is of vital importance and in conformity with the fundamental interests of all countries.

China hopes that the relevant countries will heed the opinions of the international community, and act prudently on the issue of missile defense. At the same time, China is willing to conduct constructive dialogue with all the parties involved, and make joint efforts to safeguard international peace and security, says the white paper.

China is concerned about certain countries' joint research anddevelopment of theater missile defense (TMD) systems with a view to their deployment in the Northeast Asian region. This will lead to the proliferation of advanced missile technology and be detrimental to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. China resolutely opposes any country which provides Taiwan with TMD assistance or protection in any form, says the paper.

China has always been opposed to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. China supports the international community's active efforts of non-proliferation.

China has always abided by its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. And it was the first among the nuclear-weapon states, to complete its domestic legal procedures necessary for the entry into force of the Protocol Additional to the Agreement Between China and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) for the Application of Safeguards in China.

China maintains that the efforts of non-proliferation should not be confined to the issue itself and should also include the identification and resolution of its root causes.

Establishing a fair and rational new international order and realizing the universal improvement of international relations arethe fundamental way to eliminate the threat of WMD, says the paper.

Preventing terrorist organizations and other non-state entitiesfrom obtaining WMD is a common task confronting the international community.

"China is willing, together with the international community, to make common efforts for the establishment of a fair, rational and effective multilateral non-proliferation regime based on the participation of all countries," says the paper.

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