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China's National Defense in 2004
Updated: 2004-12-28 09:52 Chapter X Arms Control, Disarmament and
Non-Proliferation
In recent years, some positive progress has been made in
the fields of international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, but
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of
delivery and other issues have become major factors affecting the international
security situation. The Chinese government maintains that the
internationalcommunity should safeguard the international regime of arms
control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties, promote its universality
and reinforce its effectiveness and authority; that it should persist in
multilateralism and give full play to the role and influence of the multilateral
arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaty organs; that it should
strive to meetthe challenges brought about by the proliferation of WMD through
political and diplomatic means on the basis of the existing international laws;
and that it should address both the symptoms and root causes and adopt
comprehensive measures, which means thatit should take into consideration
security threats such as proliferation of WMD while not neglecting the social
and economic root causes of such threats.
Committed to the Non-Proliferation Efforts
The proliferation of WMD and their means of delivery is
detrimental to world peace and security, so is it to China's own security.
Non-proliferation is in the common interest of all countries, including China,
and it has become an international consensus.
China attaches great importance to non-proliferation. It
pursues a policy of not supporting, not encouraging and not assisting other
countries to develop WMD. It resolutely opposes the proliferation of WMD and
actively participates in the diplomatic efforts of the international community
to deal with non-proliferation issues. The Chinese government published a white
paper entitled China's Non-Proliferation Policy and Measures in December 2003.
China has put in place a comprehensive legal system for
non-proliferation export control, covering the exports of nuclear, biological,
chemical, missile and other sensitive items and technologies. It has adopted the
international export control measures, including export registration system,
end-user and end-use certification system, licensing system, list control method
and "catch-all" principle, and has stipulated corresponding penalties for
breaches of these laws and regulations. China's non-proliferation export control
measures are basically in conformity with the current international practice.
The relevant departments in China have adopted and will
continue to adopt forceful measures to ensure the implementation of the relevant
regulations and laws. China has set up an inter-agency approval and coordination
mechanism on export control and anational expert supporting system for export
control. It has promulgated and implemented the Export Licensing Catalogue of
Sensitive Items and Technologies. It is revising the related regulations on
non-proliferation export control and the corresponding control lists, and has
set up an emergency coordination mechanism in order to promptly and effectively
handleproliferation contingencies. It imposes penalties on activities which
violate the non-proliferation export control laws and regulations.
China has actively developed its relations with relevant
multilateral export-control regimes. It has formally joined the Nuclear
Suppliers Group and has applied for its accession to the Missile Technology
Control Regime. China has established a dialogue mechanism with the Wassenaar
Arrangement and kept contactwith the Australia Group. It has also strengthened
information exchanges and law-enforcement cooperation on non-proliferation with
relevant countries.
China is in favor that the United Nations plays its due
role inthe non-proliferation field, and hopes that the UN Security Council
Resolution 1540 on non-proliferation will be implemented effectively. In October
2004, China submitted a report on Chinese government's implementation of the
Resolution to the Security Council's Non-proliferation Commission. China takes
an open attitude toward all proposals that may help safeguard and strengthen the
international non-proliferation regime, and is ready to have in-depth
discussions with other parties in this regard.
Promoting the International Arms Control and Disarmament
Process
At present, the key to pushing forward the international
arms control and disarmament process is to break the deadlock at the Conference
on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva. In August 2003, China announced that it accepted
the amended mandate of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Prevention of an Arms Race in
Outer Space (PAROS)in the Five Ambassadors' Proposal, and is ready to
participate in reaching consensus through consultation on the Five Ambassadors'
Proposal on the Program of Work. It hopes that the other parties concerned would
give positive response.
China supports the Conference on Disarmament in its
efforts to start substantive work on the following four topics: nuclear
disarmament, the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), security assurances to
non-nuclear-weapon states, and prevention of an armsrace in outer space.
China consistently stands for complete prohibition and
thoroughdestruction of nuclear weapons. It always pursues a policy of no first
use of nuclear weapons, and undertakes unconditionally not to use or threaten to
use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free
zones. China did not and willnever engage in a nuclear arms race with any other
country. It supports the international community in its efforts to start
substantive discussions on nuclear disarmament.
The FMCT is of great significance to preventing the
proliferation of nuclear weapons and facilitating the nuclear disarmament
process. China supports an early conclusion of the treaty through negotiations.
In the current situation, the importance and urgency of
providing security assurances for non-nuclear-weapon states has become more
prominent. China supports the negotiation and conclusion of an international
legally binding instrument on this issue. China is the only country among the
five nuclear weapon states to commit itself not to use or threaten to use
nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.
China appeals to the four other nuclear weapon states to make the same
commitment.
Outer space is the common property of mankind. China
hopes thatthe international community would take action as soon as possible to
conclude an international legal instrument on preventing the weaponization of
and arms race in outer space through negotiations,to ensure the peaceful use of
outer space.
China favors discussions on and settlement of issues
such as "terrorism and WMD," "radioactive weapons" and "observance of
international treaties on disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation"
within multilateral arms control framework.
In the other international multilateral arms control
processes,China has continued to play a constructive role. It has taken an
active part in the multilateral efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), thus assuming a positive role in
maintaining and pushing forward the multilateral arms-control process in the
biological field. China supports the efforts of the ASEAN countries, the Central
Asian countries and other neighboring countries to establish nuclear-weapon-free
zones and has reached agreement in principle with the ASEAN countries on the
Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, and participated
in the consultations between the five nuclear weapon states and the Central
Asian countries on the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty andits
protocol. It also participated in the First (Disarmament) Committee sessions of
the UN General Assembly, the UN Disarmament Commission meetings, the preparatory
committee sessions for the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and the sessions of the
Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and
its first review conference.
Fulfiling International Arms Control and Disarmament
Obligations
China conscientiously honors the NPT, consistently
stands for maintaining its authority and promoting its universality.
China supports and participates in the safeguards system
of theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). China was the first among the
five nuclear weapon states to have completed the domestic legal procedures
necessary for the entry into force of the Protocol Additional to the Agreement
Between China and IAEA for the Application of Safeguards in China.
The Chinese government firmly upholds the Comprehensive
NuclearTest Ban Treaty (CTBT) and supports its early entry into force. Before
the treaty becomes effective, China will stay committed to the moratorium on
nuclear testing. China attaches great importanceto the work of the Preparatory
Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO),
and supports and takes part in its work.
China continues to earnestly fulfil its obligations
under the CWC, and received 11 inspections by the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in 2003. The Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region has started to implement China's obligationsunder the Convention, and the
Macao Special Administrative Region has stepped up the relevant preparatory
work. In the same year, China continued to submit report to the United Nations
on its confidence-building measures in accordance with the BWC.
Today, large quantities of chemical weapons abandoned by
Japan remain on Chinese soil, which pose a grave threat to the lives andproperty
of the Chinese people and to the ecological environment. China urges Japan to
earnestly fulfil its obligations under the CWC for the destruction of these
weapons, and commence as soon as possible the substantive destruction process in
accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the
People's Republic of China and the Government of Japan on the Destruction of the
Chemical Weapons Abandoned by Japan in China.
Participating in Humanitarian Efforts in the Arms
Control Field
China supports the leading role played by the United
Nations incombating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW),and
attaches great importance to and conscientiously implements the Program of
Action adopted at the UN Conference on SALW. It supports the negotiation and
conclusion of an international instrument on identifying and tracing illicit
SALW, and participates in the negotiations with a constructive attitude. China
signed the Firearms Protocol in 2002, and is now making preparations for the
ratification of the protocol.
The Chinese government continues to support and take
part in the work of the Group of Governmental Experts of the Convention
onCertain Conventional Weapons, and has contributed to the progress made so far
in the work. Having ratified the amendment to Article 1 of the Convention, China
is now preparing to ratify the Protocolon Explosive Remnants of War.
China attaches great importance to the solution of the
humanitarian issue arising from landmines. While strictly implementing the
Amended Landmine Protocol, it is strengthening communications and exchanges with
the states parties to the OttawaConvention. China continues to provide
assistance in internationalmine clearance efforts. After providing assistance to
Eritrea in this regard in 2002, China sent another group of mine clearance
experts to that country to give guidance on de-mining operations in 2003,
trained a total of 120 mine clearance specialists for Eritrea, and provided
Eritrea with de-mining equipment. China joined the Mine Action Supporting Group,
headquartered in New York,in 2003. China and the Australian Network of the
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) co-sponsored the Humanitarian
Mine/UXO Clearance Technology and Cooperation Workshop in Kunming,Yunnan
Province, in April 2004
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