Chinese Representative Urges to Preserve Global Strategy StabilityHu Xiaodi, Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs of China, urged Thursday in Geneva the preservation of global strategic stability and the upholding of the treaty regimes which have already come into force in the areas of arms control and disarmament.The Chinese Ambassador said at the plenary of the Conference on Disarmament that the priority is to take resolute measures to prevent the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space. To this end, an international legal instrument should be concluded as soon as possible, Hu urged. The Chinese delegate said that the Conference on Disarmament should commence multilateral negotiations on this issue and establish an ad hoc committee with a negotiating mandate. Hu said China supports the Russian proposal, which calls for re- starting the substantive work of Conference on Disarmament, including dealing with the issue of nuclear disarmament. He said the global arms control and disarmament efforts have come to a critical cross-road and that "where to go" has become a major concern for the international community. A series of major issues of the international community, including the nuclear weapon reduction process, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the negotiation of a protocol of Convention on Biological Weapons, have met with undeserved challenges, said Hu. The Chinese Ambassador pointed out that last year, the whole international community, including the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, recognized the treaty on anti-ballistic missile (ABM Treaty) as a corner stone of global strategic stability. However, "we hear the advocacy for the total abrogation of this Treaty this year. All these cannot but generate profound negative impact on the international security of the 21st century and jeopardize the interest of all states in the world," Hu added. He said that the international community should urge the parties concerned to honor the integrity and effectiveness of ABM Treaty and advocate under the premise of upholding and abiding by the ABM Treaty to further reduce offensive strategic weapons. On the issue of missile non-proliferation, he said that the international community should further explore the possibility of establishing a global regime for the prevention of missile proliferation on the basis of equality and non-discrimination and with the participation of all states. |
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