New York, 6 October 2003

Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you on your election to the chairmanship of this Committee and believe that, under your guidance, the work of this Committee will be a success. My congratulations also go to the other members of the Bureau for their election.

The items considered during this year's annual session of UNCITRAL are mostly current issues in the field of international trade and call for urgent efforts to unify and coordinate positions among nations and regions. We are pleased to see that thanks to the joint efforts of the participants, the Commission finished the consideration of the agenda items as planned and agreed on the future program of work regarding those items. This is an important outcome of the annual session of the Commission. The Chinese delegation is also pleased with the annual report of the Commission, which provides an objective and comprehensive description of the discussions that took place during the session. The Chinese delegation would like to express its appreciation to the secretariat of the Commission for the work it has done. We have taken particular note of the increased number of countries that have become parties to a series of conventions prepared by the Commission, as shows that UNCITRAL is playing an increasingly important role in the harmonization and unification of international trade law.

Mr. Chairman, as one of the most important organs in the United Nations where provisions of international trade law are discussed and prepared, UNCITRAL not only works for the harmonization and unification of laws of different jurisdictions but also studies the latest developments in international trade law. The achievements and the role of UNCITRL are recognized by all countries. Many countries have adopted a series of conventions and model laws prepared by the Commission, thus greatly enhancing the development of international trade. The Chinese delegation expects the Commission to keep up the good job and will, as always, support its work.

The Chinese delegation is of the view that the drafting of relevant provisions of international trade law in the various working groups of the Commission touches upon many new issues in the field of international trade law. They require extensive and in-depth study. Therefore, we suggest that the working groups be given additional time to work on the relevant items where appropriate. Meanwhile, in light of the fact that the level of development and legislation varies from country to country, we suggest that UNCITRAL should, in the future, pay more attention to the gap between countries that are at different levels of development and strengthen its assistance to and training for the member states, in particular developing countries, through seminars and workshops so as to narrow the gap and make its work more effective.

Mr. Chairman, in spite of the enormous role played in international trade by a series of conventions and model laws drafted under the auspices of UNCITRAL, further efforts are needed to achieve the expected results. An important effort to be made in this regard is to gain wider endorsement and greater acceptance of those conventions and model laws from more countries. To this end, while governments need be supportive, UNCITRAL should seek the views from different quarters, take into account the practical situation of different countries and improve the dissemination of the provisions it has prepared. The Chinese government takes an active part in the work of the six working groups of the Commission and has sent judges, government officials and experts to participate in the thematic activities of the Commission. Furthermore, the Chinese government promptly distributes the documents of UNCITRAL's meetings and activities to the relevant bodies of the government to publicize the progress and achievements that the Commission has made. On this occasion, we call upon the GA to give more support to the work of UNCITRAL so that the Commission can conduct its work in an uninterrupted and efficient manner.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.