China: Hegemonism, Power Politics Hampering Progress in World DisarmamentChina said Monday that international arms control and disarmament efforts have suffered some serious setbacks as hegemonism and power politics are still hampering the establishment of a just and rational new international political and economic order.Shen Guofang, deputy Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks at the two-week plenary meeting of the United Nations Disarmament Commission, which opened here Monday. "The world is far from being tranquil," he said. "The old security concept and the Cold War mentality, based on military alliance and build-up of armaments, still linger on, posing a serious threat to international peace and stability." "Hegemonism and power politics are still hampering the establishment of a just and rational new international political and economic order," he said. "Against such a backdrop, international arms control and disarmament efforts have suffered some serious setbacks." "A certain country refused to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), casting doubt over the treaty's prospect of entry-into-force," he said. "Ironically, this country pushed very hard the negotiation and conclusion of the treaty." "The very same country, in disregard of strong international opposition, is intensifying its efforts to develop national and theater missile defense systems to the detriment of global strategic equilibrium and regional stability," he said. "This country even threatened to withdraw from the Anti- Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty) that underpins international arms control effort," he said. "The strong momentum emerging in the field of international disarmament after the end of the Cold War has been severely weakened. People are worrying about the future course of disarmament efforts." The United States is under strong fire in the international community for its efforts to speed up research on the missile defense systems and its plan for their future deployment. |
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