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Statement by the Head of the Chinese Delegation, Counsellor Sun Lei of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN, at the General Debate of the United Nations Disarmament Commission

2015-04-08 05:14
 

Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, on behalf of the Chinese delegation, I would like to congratulate you on your assumption of the chairmanship of this session of the United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC). I am confident that your rich diplomatic experience and wisdom will steer the session to positive achievements. I would like to assure you of our full cooperation. The Chinese Delegation also would like to congratulate Kazakhstan and Morocco on their appointment of the chairmanship of the working groups.

Mr. Chairman,

Pursuing peace, development and win-win cooperation has been the trend of our times. Meanwhile, we are faced with more divergent international security challenges than ever before. To maintain international security remains an arduous task. Under new circumstances, all countries should abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game theorybut foster a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, advance global security governance in a coordinated way, and develop a new and win-win approach to security that is built, shared and maintained by all.

Mr. Chairman,

China has consistently stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons. China is firmly committed to a nuclear policy based on self-defence and has upheld its commitment that it would not be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances and that it would not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons unconditionally against Non-Nuclear-Weapon States or Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones. China has exercised utmost restraint over the scale and development of its nuclear arsenal, never taken part in any form of nuclear arms race. China will continue to keep its nuclear force at the minimum level required for national security.

China is of the view that the international nuclear disarmament process should follow the principles of maintaining global strategic stability and undiminished security for all. Countries with the largest nuclear arsenals should continue to take the lead in making drastic and substantive reductions in their nuclear weapons. China supports the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), is committed to pushing for its early entry into force and will continue to honor its moratorium commitment on nuclear testing. China is of the hope that the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva (CD) should reach consensus on the Programme of Work at an early date so as to start its substantive work, including the negotiation and conclusion of a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable FMCT.

China firmly opposes to any form of nuclear proliferation, promotes to consolidate and improve the international non-proliferation regime, and seeks the peaceful resolution of regional nuclear issues through dialogue and negotiation. China welcomes the key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached by P5+1 and Iran at Lausanne recently. China has made a positive contribution to resolving the difficult issues and sticking points in the negotiation, and is prepared to work with other relevant parties to reach a mutually beneficial comprehensive agreement at an early date. The Six-Party Talks is an viable and effective mechanism to push forward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability. China will continue to make efforts with all relevant parties to address the concerns of all through dialogue in a balanced manner so as to ease the current situation, create and accumulate conditions to resume the Talks at an early date.

China always respects and supports the efforts of Non-Nuclear-Weapon States to establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the states of the region concerned. Last year, together with the other four Nuclear-Weapon States, China signed the Protocol to the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia. The Chinese government has submitted the relevant proposal to the National People's Congress for its deliberation. China has resolved all the pending issues with ASEAN countries on the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty and is ready to sign the protocol. China supports the early convening of the International Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The upcoming 2015 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is of great importance. All parties should seize this opportunity to promote the purposes and objectives of the treaty in a comprehensive and balanced manner and crown the Conference with substantive achievements. China will submit its national report to the Review Conference. Thanks to the joint efforts of all sides, P5 Working Group on Glossary of the Key Nuclear Terms, hosted by China, has reached a preliminary agreement on the glossary, which will be submitted to the Review Conference.

Mr. Chairman ,

It is in the common interests of all countries to maintain peace and prevent an arms race in outer space. Lasting peace and security of outer space could only be truly realized by negotiating a multilateral agreement on the prevention of an arms race in outer space. In 2008, China and the Russian Federation jointly submitted to the CD a draft "Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force against Outer Space Objects"(PPWT). In June 2014, China and the Russian Federation submitted an updated version of the draft PPWT, taking into account comments and proposals of interested states and the evolving situation. We welcome comments and suggestions from all parties, preferably in written form, so as to jointly improve it.

Mr.Chairman,

China has always supported practical and feasible confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms control, and has made continuous efforts in promoting related international and regional disarmament process and exploration of confidence-building measures.

China has devoted itself to transparency and confidence-building in the field of conventional arms control and has been an active participant in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms and the United Nations Military Expenditures. In 2013, UN Group Governmental Experts (GGE) on the Register of Conventional Arms reviewed the Register. China holds that one of the most pressing tasks is to improve the universality of the Register, i.e., to increase the number of participating countries.

Attaching great importance to the fight against illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW), China has been earnestly implementing the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. In this regards, China has adopted a series of measures on legislation, law enforcement, capacity building, international exchanges and cooperation, achieving remarkable results. China constructively participated in the Fifth Biennial Meeting of States on SALW last year, and hopes that the open-ended meeting of governmental experts to be held this June, could yield further progress.

China supports the international community to take necessary measures to regulate international conventional arms trade and to combat the illicit transfer and trafficking of conventional arms. China has constructively participated in the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) negotiation process and is currently looking into the issue of acceding to the ATT. China is ready to strengthen cooperation with all parties with a view to building a regulated and reasonable arms trade order.

China attaches great importance to and actively participates in the on-going discussions about lethal autonomous weapon systems. We are of the view that the international community shall properly address the relevant concerns on the basis of comprehensive and inclusive discussions.

Mr.Chairman,

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations. The multilateral disarmament machinery established after World War II has made tremendous contribution to safeguarding world peace and security. As the unique deliberative body of the machinery under the UN framework, the UNDC has played an important role in setting priority agenda for multilateral disarmament negotiations. In recent years, the multilateral disarmament machinery, including UNDC has been confronted with some difficulties. China hopes that each party should have a rational and practical attitude toward the status and role of UNDC, conduct work in a positive and pragmatic manner, and bridge the gap so as to make positive progress in this round of review.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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