Mr. Chair,
The Chinese delegation would like to congratulate Your Excellency on your election as Chair of the First Committee of the current session of the UN General Assembly.
At present, the global security situation faces complex and serious challenges.The post-Second World War international order has been seriously undermined by hegemonism, power politics and unilateralism.The sovereignty right to subsistence and right to development of small and medium-sized countries have been trampled upon wantonly, and the international system with the United Nations at its core and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter have been severely impacted.The multilateral arms control process is at a crossroads.
Faced with the epochal question:"What has happened to the world and how should we respond", China has always been actively promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative.the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, and has unwaveringly been a force for peace, stability and progress in the turbulent world. In November 2025, China issues a White Paper entitled“China's Arms Control, Disarmament, and Non-proliferation in the New Era", which comprehensively elaborated China's policies in the areas of arms control disarmament and non-proliferation. China also hosted an international seminar on “Promoting multilateralism and advancing arms control diplomacy" in Beijing and has invited participants to visit China's decommissioned nuclear facilities.
China would like to put forward the following propositions on the work of the First Committee at this session:
The first is to adhere multilateralism and uphold the original aspiration for peace. Multilateralism is an important cornerstone of global security governance. The United States obsesses with absolute strategic advantages, invests hundreds of billions dollars every year in upgrading nuclear forces, promotes the Golden Dome anti-missile system, forward-deploys strategic offensive and defensive forces against other nuclear-armed countries, and continues to build nuclear alliances through “nuclear sharing" and “extended deterrence". The United States negative acts seriously undermined global and regional strategic stability as well as the security interests of other States, raise the risk of nuclear confrontation and conflicts.The United States applies double standards on arms control and non-proliferation issues, adopts a pragmatic attitude towards the current multilateral arms control mechanism and treaty system, and repeatedly withdraws from treaties and abandoned international commitments. This is the the fundamental cause for the stalemate of the multilateral arms control process and the erosion of the international non-proliferation system.
China uploads the principles of justice,cooperation, balance and effectiveness in arms control, and advocates that all States should practice true multilateralism. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime and an essential pillar of the post-war international security architecture.The consensus on the prohibition of nuclear tests based on the CTBT cannot be challenged. In the current situation, the authority and effectiveness of multilateral arms control mechanism, such as the Conference on Disarmament and the First Committee of the UNGA, can only be strengthened, not weakened.Any attempt to distort and smear China's nuclear policy will not succeed.
The second is to draw lessons from history and reject backtracking on history. This year marks the 81st anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trial. Japan was admitted to the United Nations back then on the premise that it would recognize the crimes of Japanese militarism and accept the full content of the UN Charter. However, the current Japanese government denies the history of aggression, glorifies war crimes,and worships the war criminals of World War II.Meanwhile, it has continuously stepped up military build-up and accelerated “remilitarization”, attempted to abandon the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles",and has become a prominent factor threatening regional peace and stability.
In order to prevent the resurgence of Japanese militarism, documents with the force of international law, such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, clearly stipulate the obligations to eradicate Japanese militarism, eliminate military industries, destroy the war-making power and prohibit the rearming of Japan as the defeated nation.The Japanese Instrument of Surrender explicitly committed to fulfilling the Potsdam Proclamation. However, current Japanese high-ranking officials have openly made reckless remarks about discussing the possession of nuclear weapons without any taboos, which is a serious provocation and trampling on the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.Japan's proposal to delete the "Enemy-State Clauses" from the UN Charter is the latest example of its challenge to the post-war international order under the guise of "national normalization”.
The bitter lessons of the World War II are not far from being learned,and forgetting history will lead to repeating the same mistakes. The international community should seriously reflect on any act that condones or even supports the “remilitarization"of Japan, urge Japan to profoundly reflect on its history of aggression, completely break away from militarism, and to completely break away from militarism, and to completely abandon its plans for remilitarization, and genuinely fulfill its obligations on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons under international law.
The third is to uphold the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits and improve global governance in new and emerging areas. With the rapid development of new and emerging technologies, the problems of the absence of international rules and the lag in governance systems have been highlighted. China advocates the development of reliable and controllable Artificial Intelligence in the military domain for peace and justice. We should uphold human primacy and ensure that human bears ultimate responsibility, and relevant weapons systems should be under the control of human.We should be Prudent and responsible, refrain from pursuing absolute military advantage by means of artificial intelligence, and oppose artificial intelligence arms race. We should adopt a Tiered and categorized approach, and balance security governance, technological development and peaceful uses.We should conduct inclusive consultation, support the United Nations in playing its due roles,and oppose the formation of small-circle governance alliance and acts hindering international exchanges and cooperation.
Recently, China has issued a Position Paper on Global Cyber Governance in the Digital Intelligence Age, which advocates respect for digital sovereignty, emphasizes that every country has the right to independently choose its own path of development for digital intelligence technologies, including artificial intelligence, based on its national conditions, and should not be coerced into taking sides.The declared deployment of weapons in outer space by United States has caused widespread concern. It is urgent to advance international governance and prevent arms races in outer space.Only by negotiating a legally-binding arms control instrument in the Conference on Disarmament can prevent outer space from becoming a new battlefield.
The fourth is to uphold fairness and justice, and break the "tech Iron Curtain".The peaceful use of science and technology, which is an inalienable right of States under international law, is essential to balance development and security and achieve sustainable development goals. The international non-proliferation regime was deeply harmed by pragmatism and double standards.A few countries have been bent on pursuing decoupling and supply-chain disruption, erecting a "tech Iron Curtain" and restricting the legitimate right of developing countries to the peaceful uses of science and technology.
China firmly supports the Global South to fully enjoy the benefits of scientific and technological progress in a non-discriminatory manner.This year, China will once again submit the draft resolution entitled “Promoting international cooperation on peaceful uses in the context of international security", in order to safeguard the legitimate right to the peaceful uses of science and technology of all States.China looks forward to the active support and participation of all States in the follow-up process.
Mr. Chair,
China will continue to commit itself to practicing the true multilateralism, firmly support the international arms control process, with the United Nations at its core, and work with all peace-loving countries to make new contributions to advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Thank you, Chair.