Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, the Chinese Delegation would like to express its congratulations again on your assumption of the chairmanship of this session of the United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC). We are also pleased to see that, under your able leadership and continuous efforts, a consensus on the agenda of the new deliberation cycle of the UNDC has been reached. The Chinese delegation will cooperate closely with you and other delegations.

I would like to take this opportunity to express appreciation to your predecessor, Ambassador Hamid Al-Bayati of Iraq, for his outstanding work. I would also like to join other delegations in congratulating and welcoming Ms. Angela Kane for her appointment as the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

Mr. Chairman,

In today's world, a variety of uncertain and unstable factors are on the rise, and international politics, economy and security are undergoing complex and profound changes. The increasing common interests and deepening interdependence in the field of security have bonded all countries to a common destiny. Every country has the responsibility to make joint efforts to maintain security through cooperation, promote development through stability, and advance international security and the multilateral arms control process. Bearing this in mind, China calls upon all countries to embrace a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, fully respect and accommodate the legitimate security concerns of other countries and carry out related dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual trust.

This year marks the beginning of the new three-year deliberation cycle of the UNDC. The Chinese Delegation sincerely hopes that all parties will collectively push this cycle forward to achieve fruitful results in a constructive manner.

Mr. Chairman,

Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation has been on the UNDC agenda for some years. In the context of the current situation, the Chinese Delegation would like to reiterate the following points:

-- Countries with the largest nuclear arsenals bear special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament, and should continue to make drastic and substantive reductions in their nuclear arsenals. When conditions are ripe, other nuclear-weapon states should also join the multilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament. The international community should develop, at an appropriate time, a viable, long-term plan composed of phased actions, including the conclusion of a convention on the complete prohibition of nuclear weapons.

-- Nuclear-weapon states should reduce the role of nuclear weapons in their national security policy, unequivocally undertake not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones, and commit themselves to concluding an international legal instrument in this regard at an early date.

-- All parties should make concerted efforts to push forward the entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) at an early date. The Conference on Disarmament should reach a comprehensive and balanced program of work, and launch the substantive work including negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) as soon as possible.

-- In confronting the complicated and volatile situation of non-proliferation, the international community should foster a peaceful, cooperative and stable international security environment, so as to remove the root causes of the proliferation of WMDs.

-- All parties should work together to consolidate the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, ensure the impartiality and nondiscrimination of international efforts in nuclear non-proliferation, and adhere to resolving non-proliferation hotspot issues through political and diplomatic means.

Mr. Chairman,

As Chinese President Hu Jintao declared solemnly at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit on March 27, China will, as always, push for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, abide by the policy of not being the first to use nuclear weapons, be committed to the international nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and support the right of countries to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

China has implemented in good faith the outcome document of the 8th Review Conference of the NPT. We support the 2012 International Conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other WMD, and firmly oppose all forms of nuclear terrorism.

China has all along called for peaceful resolution to the Korean Peninsula and the Iranian nuclear issues through dialogue and negotiations. We hope that all parties adhere to the right direction of resolving the above issues through diplomatic means, and keep restraint and demonstrate flexibility, so as to push forward continuously the relevant dialogue and cooperation.

Mr. Chairman,

China is supportive of practical and feasible confidence-building measures (CBM) in the field of conventional weapons. For many years, China has always been proactively promoting and participating in international and regional disarmament process and confidence building measures. At bilateral level, as well as in multilateral frameworks such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), China has been working with relevant countries to vigorously explore and practice CBMs aiming at enhancing mutual trust and promoting security. China also participated in the UN Standardized Instrument for Reporting Military Expenditures and the UN Register of Conventional Arms, and is committed to building confidence in the field of conventional weapons.

The UN conference of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) will be held in July this year. The Second Review Conference on United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW in All Its Aspects (PoA) will be held in August. China, for its part, subscribes itself to international efforts to adopt proper measures to regulate relevant arms trade and combat illicit arms trafficking. China is willing to participate in the above-mentioned conferences in a constructive manner.

Mr. Chairman,

The First Special Session on Disarmament of the UNGA (SSOD I) established the multilateral arms control and disarmament machinery, which is composed of the First Committee of the UNGA, the UNDC and the CD. They are mutually reinforcing and complementary. As an integral part of this machinery and important deliberative body, the UNDC has made contributions to the cause of multilateral disarmament and arms control in the past. While the UNDC has been confronted with some difficulties in recent years, each party should have a rational and practical attitude toward this end, act on the premise of preserving the authority of the UNDC, and work together to explore the ways and means to strengthen its role and effectiveness.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman