Mr. President, 

I thank you for convening this meeting. 

The complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, the elimination of threat of nuclear war and the ultimate establishment of a world free of nuclear weapons are in the common interest of all mankind. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is an important pillar of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and an important milestone for humanity towards the goal of building a world free of nuclear weapons. Since its conclusion 26 years ago, the CTBT has made important contributions to curbing the nuclear arms race, reducing the risk of nuclear war and maintaining international peace and security and has guided the international community towards the goal of building a world with lasting peace and universal security. 

At present, the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation regime is facing daunting challenges and the important role of the CTBT has become evermore prominent. In the face of emerging challenges and new changes, the international community must uphold true multilateralism, stay committed to win-win cooperation, fairness and justice, oppose the cold war mentality and zero sum game, embrace the concept of common,  comprehensive cooperative and sustainable security and strive to achieve security for all. 

Mr. President, 

China is one of the first signatories of the CTBT and has conducted the lowest number of nuclear tests among the nuclear-weapon states. Since it declared a moratorium on nuclear tests in 1996,  China has always abided by its commitment, and has never wavered its political support for the treaty. China always advocates the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, undertakes not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and unconditionally commits itself not to use or threat to use nuclear weapons against non nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. China always keeps its nuclear force at the minimum level required for national security. China does not compete with other countries in terms of the input, quantity or scale of nuclear force and never engages in any arms race with any other country. China is the only nuclear-weapon state that has made such commitments. We urge other nuclear-weapon states to adopt the same policy in order to effectively reduce the risk of nuclear war. 

On January 3 this year, the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states issued the Joint Statement on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, stressing that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought and reaffirming that none of their nuclear weapons are targeted at each other or at any other state. This historic statement reflects the political will of the five states to prevent nuclear war and was profoundly significant for the maintenance of global strategic stability. China hopes that the five nuclear-weapon states will continuously enhance strategic mutual trust and strengthen communication and cooperation. 

Mr. President, 

The CTBT and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) are both important pillars of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. The 10th NPT Review Conference has just concluded. We hope that states parties will build on this momentum, explore ways to respond to challenges in the international non-proliferation arena, continuously enhance the universality, authority and effectiveness of the NPT and promote the early entry into force of the CTBT. China stands ready to work with all parties to make new contributions to the realization of the lofty goal of the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons and the promotion of world peace and security. 

Thank you.