Mr. Chairman,

Thanks to the efforts of all governments, the past year witnessed further progress in the UN-led international cooperation in preventing and combating crimes and in drug control. However, daunting challenges remain. Strengthening international cooperation is an effective way to fight drug trafficking and other transnational organized crimes, so countries should demonstrate political will and further strengthen relevant international cooperation mechanisms on the basis of respect for sovereignty, equality and mutual benefit. Greater attention should be given to the concerns of developing countries and efforts made to help them build up capacity.

Mr. Chairman,

Corruption seriously undermines social stability and sustainable development of all countries. Stronger international cooperation is vital to corruption containment. As an important achievement of the international community’s collaborative response to corruption, the United Nations Convention against Corruption provides a solid legal basis and code of conduct for international cooperation in preventing and combating corruption, and should therefore be fully complied with and implemented. The implementation review mechanism of the Convention has been running for a year and countries are submitting implementation reports. On the whole, the operation of the mechanism has been stable, though there are still some shortfalls. China hopes that the Fourth Conference of the States Parties will yield positive results.

Mr. Chairman,

The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime provides the legal framework and a platform for cooperation for countries to work together to combat those crimes. The Chinese government deems the following aspects hugely important for the effective implementation of the Convention and its Protocols. First; the paramount authority of the Conference of the States Parties must be preserved. Work on various fronts must be carried out in strict accordance with the mandate given by the COP. Secondly; the implementation mechanism should be set up and improved in a prudent and objective manner, having fully analyzed the characteristics of the Convention and its Protocols. Thirdly; priority areas for technical assistance should be identified based on the actual needs of countries, especially the developing countries. And fourthly; international cooperation should be strengthened conscientiously to translate promises into action.

Mr. Chairman,

In recent years, cyber crime has caused ever greater concern of the international community. People are increasingly calling for the formulation of international rules to regulate behavior in cyber space. Regrettably, until now there is no global law or regulation governing cyber crime. Countries should work together to formulate within the UN framework a comprehensive convention on cyber crime so as to respond to the challenges posed by cyber crime throughout the world. A group of countries including China and Russia has recently submitted to the current session an International Code of Conduct for Information Security, which contains a series of basic principles on dealing with cyber crime and maintaining information and cyber security. We believe that this proposed code of conduct will contribute positively to the international response to cyber crime and look forward to the positive response and support from other member states.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese government takes seriously the effective implementation of all its international obligations in combating crime. Over the last year, it has taken legislative, administrative and judicial steps to enforce the provisions of the above-mentioned Conventions and has taken an active part in international cooperation. China has promulgated the Outline of Establishing and Improving the Corruption Punishment and Prevention System and the related Work Plan (2008-2012) and, based on these two documents, has made a lot of efforts to prevent and combat corruption. China has signed with close to 60 countries over 110 judicial assistance treaties, most of which concern mutual assistance in criminal justice matters. My government has also stepped up its fight against organized crimes through special enforcement operations.

Mr. Chairman,

Loss of precursor chemicals is another grave concern for the international community. The Chinese government has taken rigorous measures to prevent precursor chemicals from flowing into illegal channels. To this end, it has promulgated the Measure for the Administration of Pharmaceutical Precursor Chemicals and the Bulletin on Strengthening the Internet Precursor Chemicals Sales Information Management. China strictly verifies the import and export of precursor chemicals and stands ready to share experience and strengthen cooperation with other countries in case investigation.

Mr. Chairman,

In recent years, Ketamine abuse is becoming an increasingly serious problem throughout the world. China calls on the international community to pay more attention to Ketamine abuse and related crimes with particular emphasis on the harm this drug brings to people’s safety, health and well-being, especially those of the young people, and put Ketamine under international regulation and control.

The Chinese government appreciates the report of the Secretary-General on International Cooperation against the World Drug Problem and will give serious consideration to implementing applicable recommendations contained in the report based on China’s national conditions. My government has all along attached great importance to drug control and rehabilitation and has always taken drug prevention advocacy as a way to fundamentally solve this problem. On June 26 this year, China promulgated the new Regulation on Drug Rehabilitation, which embodies the rehabilitation principles of putting people at the center, using scientific methods, integrating correction with treatment and providing help and care.

The Chinese government pays great attention to international cooperation in drug-control. Within various frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, East Asia sub-region, Paris Pact Initiative and ASEAN plus China, we have carried out pragmatic multi-level cooperation with countries concerned in various areas with emphasis on intelligence sharing, law enforcement, training and alternative development, among others. We appreciate the outstanding work done by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Narcotics Control Bureau (INCB) within their respective mandates and are willing to strengthen cooperation with the two agencies and contribute more to the early realization of a drug-free world.

Thank You, Mr. Chairman.