On May 20, the Security Council took action on the draft resolution on outer space security proposed by Russia and co-sponsored by China. The draft resolution was not adopted. Ambassador Fu Cong attended the meeting and delivered the following remarks.   

President,  

Outer space, a global public domain, bears on the security and well-being of all humanity. Ensuring the peaceful attributes of outer space and promoting cooperation in outer space is the universal pursuit of the international community as well as the shared responsibility of all member states.

60 years ago, the development and use of outer space began. Since then, the international community has been striving to improve the system of outer space governance. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the first international treaty relating to outer space, establishes the important principles of peaceful use, free exploration, and international cooperation, while categorically prohibiting the deployment of WMDs in outer space, thus making significant contributions to the maintenance of peace, security, and sustainability of outer space. 

Meanwhile, with the advancement of space technology, some new threats and challenges have emerged in outer space. A certain country has defined outer space as a “war-fighting domain”, accelerated the buildup of its space force and deployed anti-missile systems and offensive weapons in outer space. Though not explicitly prohibited by the OST, such acts exacerbate risks of conflicts in outer space, clearly violate the principle of peaceful use of outer space established by the Treaty, and go against the international community’s goal of upholding security in outer space and advancing the cause of its peaceful use. 

Given the above-mentioned context, the General Assembly has adopted annually by an overwhelming majority a resolution calling on the CD to negotiate and conclude a treaty on arms control in outer space and to explicitly prohibit the placement of weapons of any kind in outer space, so as to provide a fundamental institutional guarantee for the maintenance of outer space security. This represents the mainstream voice of the international community in promoting the governance of outer space. And the CD has been engaged in ongoing and in-depth discussions on this issue. 

President, 

China is of the view that the Security Council can, pursuant to its own mandates, consider the issue about space security in an appropriate manner. But in doing so, it is important to reflect the consensus of the international community to the greatest extent possible, with the objective of promoting mutual trust and cooperation among all parties on issue of outer space, while supporting and complementing the relevant discussions taking place in specialized fora. 

Last month, the Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution on outer space security proposed by the United States and Japan. Since then, Russia has put forward a new draft resolution. This draft resolution recognizes the role and contributions of the OST while addressing the gaps contained therein by explicitly prohibiting the placement of weapons of any type in outer space and calling for the early conclusion of a treaty on arms control in outer space. These elements have received support from more than two-thirds of UN member states at the General Assembly, hence, capturing the widespread concerns and voices of the international community, the developing countries in particular. China supported and co-sponsored the draft resolution tabled by Russia. However, due to different positions, the draft resolution was not adopted in the vote we just had. China finds this deeply regrettable. 

President,  

The recent voting results at the Security Council on the two draft resolutions on outer space security indicate that parties do have different understandings and views on this issue. It will take some long-term efforts to build consensus. When it comes to the governance of the space, much remains to be done. The international community should uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, continuously strengthen dialogue, enhance mutual trust, and deepen cooperation, so as to turn outer space into a new frontier of durable security and common development. China is ready to continue to work with the international community to make positive efforts and contributions to the maintenance of outer space security and the promotion of its peaceful use. 

Thank you President.