(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-14 19:40

BEIJING - China hoped that a draft treaty on preventing an arms race in outer space would receive a positive response from relevant countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Thursday.

Liu made the remarks at a regular press conference. He was responding to a question on the United States' rejection of a call for a new treaty to ban the use of weapons in outer space.

Russia and China on Tuesday jointly submitted to a UN-sponsored disarmament conference a proposal for an international treaty to ban the deployment of weapons in outer space.

The draft Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force Against Outer Space Objects (PPWT), was presented at a plenary session of the Conference on Disarmament. That is the world's sole multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations, and its function is to prevent the weaponization of, or an arms race in, outer space and to safeguard peace and stability there.

Liu said that Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have elaborated on their stances on the issue, and Yang stressed that a new treaty would be conducive to the common interests of all countries.

It is necessary for the international community to create a new legal document to strengthen the current legal system concerning outer space, Liu noted.

China hoped that the Conference on Disarmament would conduct substantial discussions on the draft treaty as soon as possible and reach a consensus, Liu said.

Liu said that such a draft treaty was of positive significance to world peace and stability as well as the peaceful use of outer space.