China Underlines Cooperation and Equality in World Disarmament Efforts

China said here Monday that the cooperation on an equal footing is essential for progress in international disarmament efforts.

Shen Guofang, deputy Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, told the plenary meeting of the United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) that "the Chinese delegation maintains that cooperation on an equal footing is essential for progress in international disarmament efforts. This has been true in the past and will remain so in the future."

"This is also an important part of the new security concept advocated by China, which is based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation," he said.

"All countries, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, should have an equal right to security," he said.

"Disarmament is not intended to enhance the security of an individual country or a group of countries," he said. "Disarmament should not become a tool for stronger nations to control weak ones, still less should it be an instrument for a handful of countries to optimize their armament in order to seek unilateral security advantage."

"To carry out cooperation in the field of disarmament, all countries should accommodate each other's security concerns and to abandon unilateralism and hegemonism," he said. "Some countries

pursue the doctrine of 'mine is mine, yours is negotiable', and frequently impose economic sanctions on other countries under the pretext of nonproliferation."

"Such an approach is by no means desirable," he said.

"In the framework of collective security, enhancement of international cooperation and common efforts offer the only correct and effective way to address the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," he said.

"Such cooperation also requires all nations to respect and abide by international arms control and disarmament instruments, and to abandon cynicism in this area," he said.

"A certain state asks others to fulfill treaty obligations, while keeping freedom of action for itself," he said. "When ratifying a treaty, it adopted domestic legislation in violation

of the purposes of the treaty."

"It even threatened to withdraw from a treaty under groundless pretexts," he said. "Such are demonstrations of hegemonism and double standard, which will undermine international disarmament efforts."

"China has always attached importance to the UNDC, and has participated in its every session in a constructive manner," he said. "The Chinese delegation holds the view that the UNDC plays an irreplaceable role in formulating guidelines for international arms control and disarmament."

"Under current circumstances when international disarmament efforts have come to a crossroads, we need the UNDC even more to explore principles and ways to advance the disarmament process," he added.

The plenary session was presided over by the UNDC chairman, Javad Zarif, who is currently Iran's deputy foreign minister.

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