VI. Arms Control and Disarmament
Recent years have witnessed aseries of negative developments in the area of international arms control and disarmament,which have undermined the sound momentum international disarmament efforts had gatheredfollowing the end of the Cold War. The international community is confronted with gravechallenges in its efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)and promote disarmament, and with the emerging danger of a new arms race, which has becomea cause for serious concern.The Chinese government attaches great importance tothe issue of arms control and disarmament, and works hard to promote the sound developmentof the international disarmament process. It believes that fair and rational arms controland disarmament efforts are conducive to the relaxation of the international situation,thereby constituting a vital means of safeguarding world peace and enhancing internationalsecurity. At the same time, the Chinese government resolutely opposes the attempts of somecountries to use arms control and disarmament as a tool to weaken other countries andreinforce their own military superiority for the purpose of seeking regional or globalhegemony.
Nuclear Weapons and Missile Defense
China has consistently advocated the completeprohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, and has made unremitting effortsto this end. On the very first day it came into possession of nuclear weapons, Chinasolemnly declared that it would not be the first to use such weapons, no matter what thetime or the circumstances. Later, China undertook unconditionally not to use or threatento use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. InMay 2000, China, together with four other nuclear-weapon states, issued a joint statementdeclaring that their nuclear weapons are not targeted at any country.
China vigorously supports the efforts of thecountries concerned to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones on a voluntary basis, and hasundertaken to provide both positive and negative security assurances to non-nuclear-weaponstates and nuclear-weapon-free zones. In July 1999, China reached an agreement with ASEANon the text of the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty andbecame the first among the five nuclear-weapon states to commit itself to signing theProtocol once its revised text is open for signature.
As the most universal international arms controltreaty, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has laid a solidlegal foundation for international efforts to stem the proliferation of nuclear weapons,promote nuclear disarmament and enhance the peaceful use of nuclear energy. China supportsall efforts to consolidate and strengthen the international mechanism of nuclearnon-proliferation, and has faithfully fulfilled its obligations under the NPT. Thisposition of China's will remain unchanged. In December 1998, China signed with theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the Additional Protocol aimed at strengtheningthe effectiveness of the IAEA safeguard system, undertaking to report to the IAEA China'snuclear cooperation with non-nuclear-weapon states.
The CTBT is an important milestone in the process ofinternational nuclear disarmament. As one of the first countries to sign the CTBT, Chinahas been actively participating in the work of the Preparatory Commission of the TreatyOrganization, and earnestly carrying out preparatory work for the implementation of theTreaty in China. Being a nuclear-weapon state, China is fully aware of itsresponsibilities concerning the entry into force of the Treaty. Therefore, the Chinesegovernment is still committed to the early ratification of the Treaty, despite suchnegative developments in the past two years as the nuclear tests in India and Pakistan andthe US Senate's refusal to ratify the CTBT. Now, the Chinese government has alreadycompleted the necessary preparations and formally submitted the Treaty to the NPC forreview and ratification.
China has all along adopted a positive attitude tothe negotiation of a convention that prohibits the production of fissile materials fornuclear weapons purposes, known as the FMCT.
The Chinese government maintains that progress onthe issue of the FMCT negotiations is, and will continue to be, closely related to theglobal peace and security situation. In view of the fact that the US is accelerating itsefforts for the development and possible deployment of a national missile defense systemand space weapons, and that the US and Russia still possess nuclear arsenals large enoughto destroy the world many times over, it is China's position that continued nucleardisarmament and the prevention of an arms race in outer space are multilateral fora ofarms control that should be given more priority than the FMCT negotiations.
Therefore, the Conference on Disarmament in Genevashould not emphasize the importance of only the FMCT negotiations to the neglect of theissues of nuclear disarmament and the prevention of an arms race in outer space, andshould, at the minimum, give equal attention to all three issues by carrying out itssubstantive work in a balanced manner.
The Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-BallisticMissile Systems (hereafter referred to as the ABM Treaty) plays a very important role inmaintaining the global strategic balance and stability, promoting nuclear disarmament andenhancing international security. However, in recent years the United States hasaccelerated its development of a national missile defense system in disregard of therelevant provisions of the ABM Treaty and the opposition of the international community.China expresses its strong opposition to such moves on the part of the United States, forthey will undermine the global strategic balance, severely hamper the nuclear disarmamentprocess and international non-proliferation efforts, jeopardize global peace and regionalstability and may even touch off a new round of arms race.
The Resolution on the Preservation of and Compliancewith the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, co-sponsored by China, Russia and Belarus, andadopted at the 54th Session of the UN General Assembly with an overwhelming majority,called upon the parties to the ABM Treaty to refrain from the deployment of anti-ballisticmissile systems for the defense of their territories. It also expressed support forfurther efforts by the international community to safeguard the inviolability andintegrity of the ABM Treaty. The Resolution is a clear manifestation of the internationalcommunity's opposition to US efforts to develop and deploy missile defense systems, and ofits will to safeguard the ABM Treaty. On July 18, 2000, President Jiang Zemin of the PRCand President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation signed a joint statement onanti-missile defense. In the statement, the Presidents reaffirm that the ABM Treatyremains the cornerstone ofglobal strategic stability and international security, andconstitutes the basis for a framework of the key international agreements designed toreduce and limit offensive strategic weapons and to prevent the proliferation of weaponsof mass destruction. Emphasizing that it is totally untenable to press for amending theABM Treaty on the pretext of so-called missile threats from some countries, the Presidentspoint out that to amend the text of the ABM Treaty is tantamount to an act of underminingthe ABM Treaty and will inevitably bring about a series of negative consequences, and thatthe country which presses for amending this treaty will have to bear the fullresponsibility for all these consequences. The Presidents also reiterate that under thecurrent strategic situation, it is of great practical significance to preserve theintegrity and effectiveness of the ABM Treaty. The United States government shouldearnestly heed the appeal of the international community and stop the development anddeployment of missile defense systems that may undermine global strategic stability.
The joint research and development of the theatermissile defense (TMD) system by the United States and Japan with a view to deploying it inEast Asia will enhance the overall offensive and defensive capability of the US-Japanmilitary alliance to an unprecedented level, which will also far exceed the defensiveneeds of Japan. This will touch off a regional arms race and jeopardize security andstability in the Asia-Pacific region.
China expresses its profound concern over such adevelopment.
China is strongly opposed to the provision of theTMD system, its components and technology, and any such assistance to Taiwan. China isalso strongly against any attempt to incorporate Taiwan in any form into the TMD system byany country.
Chemical and Biological Weapons
China does not possess chemical weapons and hasalways stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of such weapons. As aState Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), China has faithfully fulfilled allits obligations under the Convention. It has submitted its initial declaration and annualdeclarations in time and in their entirety, and accepted several inspections by theOrganization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). It has also participated ineach session of the Executive Council and the Conference of State Parties. China has beenactive in supporting the work of the OPCW and has co-sponsored, along with the OPCW, aregional seminar on implementation of the Convention, as well as several training coursesfor inspectors. In June 1998, the State Administration of the Petroleum and ChemicalIndustry of China added ten chemicals to the third category of the List of ControlledChemicals.
It is the view of the Chinese government that theimplementation of the Convention has been, on the whole, satisfactory, since it enteredinto force three years ago. However, there are problems which should not be ignored: Theuniversality of the Convention leaves a lot to be desired; a certain State Party has madede facto reservations regarding the provisions of the Convention in the form of domesticlegislation; and some State Parties have been very slow destroying their chemical weaponsstockpiles. These problems should be put right as soon as possible.
China has been a victim of chemical warfare. Largequantities of chemical weapons abandoned by the Japanese invaders remain on Chinese soilto this day. These weapons still seriously threaten the lives of the local people and havecaused serious damage to the ecological environment. In July 1999, the Chinese andJapanese governments signed the Memorandum on the Destruction of the Chemical Weaponsabandoned by Japan in China, in which the Japanese government explicitly admits the factof the abandoning of chemical weapons, and undertakes to earnestly fulfill the obligationand duty of destroying these weapons. China urges Japan to start the substantivedestruction conscientiously and at the earliest date possible, in accordance with theprinciples and provisions set forth in the Memorandum.
China does not possess biological weapons, and wasonce a victim of such weapons. China stands for the complete prohibition and thoroughdestruction of biological weapons, and strongly opposes the development, production andstockpiling of biological weapons by any country, as well as the proliferation of suchweapons and related technology in any form by any country. As a State Party to theBiological Weapons Convention (BWC), China has fully and conscientiously fulfilled itsobligations under the Convention and has, on an annual basis, provided the United Nationswith information on confidence-building measures in this regard.
China supports the enhancement of the effectivenessof the BWC in a comprehensive manner. Upon its accession to the BWC, China pointed out theabsence of concrete and effective measures for verification. China holds that, in order tostrengthen the effectiveness of the BWC, a necessary verification mechanism should beestablished. In view of the complexity of biological weapons and bio-technology, theverification mechanism to be established must be rational, just and feasible. In order toprotect the legitimate security and commercial interests of State Parties, concretemeasures aimed at preventing the abuse of verification should be provided for. At the sametime, there should be concrete measures to promote international cooperation and exchangesamong State Parties in the field of bio-technology for purposes not prohibited by theConvention. These measures will be conducive to enhancing the universality of theConvention and the future Protocol.
Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space
China is strongly opposed to an arms race in outerspace. China maintains that the exploration and utilization of outer space should be forthe sole purpose of promoting the economic, scientific and cultural development of allcountries, and benefiting all mankind.
Such activities as the testing, deployment or use ofweapons, weapon systems or their components should be banned in outer space, in order toprevent the militarization of and an arms race in outer space. At present, there areintentions, plans and actions to pursue unilateral military and strategic superiority in,and control of, outer space. They are not only real but also growing. Therefore, it isrealistic and urgent that the international community takes effective measures to stopsuch negative developments.
Over a period of years, the international communityhas, for the purpose of promoting the peaceful uses of outer space and preventing an armsrace there, drawn up a series of multilateral or bilateral legal instruments regulatingState Parties' space activities. However, these instruments have not reflected thedevelopment of the most advanced aerospace technology today, and therefore are unable toeffectively prevent the militarization of or an arms race in outer space. China believesthat the most direct and effective way to achieve this purpose in the new century is tonegotiate and bring into being a new international legal instrument, in addition tocontinued strict compliance with the existing ones.
The 54th Session of the UN General Assembly adoptedonce again the Resolution on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space, with anoverwhelming majority. The Resolution stresses that the negotiation and conclusion of aninternational agreement or agreements on the prevention of an arms race in outer spaceremains the top priority of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Conference on Disarmament on thePrevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space. This reflects a universal aspiration and anurgent demand of the international community for the prevention of such an arms race. TheConference on Disarmament in Geneva has an important role to play in this respect. Itshould immediately reestablish the Ad Hoc Committee with a mandate to negotiate a newinternational legal instrument on the prevention of the militarization of or an arms racein outer space.
Anti-Personnel Landmines
The Chinese government has always paid a great dealof attention to the accidental injuries to civilians caused by anti-personnel landmines(APL). Since its ratification of the Amended Protocol to the Convention on CertainConventional Weapons in 1998, the Chinese government and its armed forces have strictlycomplied with and earnestly implemented the provisions of the Protocol, and have stoppedexporting APLs that are not in conformity with the standards set out in the Protocol. InOctober 1999, China submitted its national report on the implementation of the Protocol tothe Secretary-General of the United Nations.
In addition, the Chinese government has madestrenuous efforts in mine clearance, both domestically and internationally. From early1992 to August 1999, the Chinese government launched two large-scale mine clearanceoperations on Chinese territory along the Sino-Vietnamese border. Over 2.2 millionlandmines and explosive devices of various kinds were removed, and more than 700 tons ofabandoned ammunition and explosive devices were destroyed.
An area of over 300 square kilometers was cleared.Some 290 border trade paths and ports of entry and exit were re-opened, and 60,000hectares of deserted farmland, pastures and forests were restored to their original state.Thus, the threat posed to the local people by the landmines left over from the borderconflict has been eliminated. The Chinese government has also, in conformity with therequirements of technological cooperation and assistance as prescribed in the Protocol,provided every possible assistance to mine-affected countries by contributing to the UNVoluntary Trust Fund for Mine Clearance Assistance and donating mine-clearance equipmentdirectly to these countries. In 1998, the Chinese government donated US$ 100,000 to the UNVoluntary Trust Fund for mine clearance operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In October 1999and May 2000, China sponsored two international mine clearance training courses incollaboration with the UN. Forty trainees from seven mine-affected countries(Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Rwanda) attendedthe courses, the contents of which ranged from mine-clearance techniques to operationalmethods and organizational procedures, with satisfactory results.
The Chinese government is of the view that, inaddressing the issue of accidental injury to civilians from mines, a two-pronged approachshould be adopted, i.e., restrictions on the use of landmines and mine clearance. TheAmended Protocol, if universally acceded to and effectively carried out, should be able tosatisfactorily resolve the problem of abuse and control of landmines. As far as thehumanitarian aspect of the issue is concerned, the most urgent task, and the mosteffective approach, is to clear the landmines scattered in many parts of the world.
The UN Register of Conventional Arms and the Issueof Small Arms
China participated in the UN Register ofConventional Arms from 1992 to 1997. However, since 1996, a certain country, in disregardof relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly, began to register its arms sales toTaiwan in the form of a footnote to its national report. It is obvious that the arms salesto Taiwan are not arms transfers between sovereign states. Furthermore, they constituteinfringements upon China's sovereignty and interference in China's internal affairs. Toplace arms sales to Taiwan on the Register is inconsistent with the nature of the Registeras a record of legitimate arms transfers between sovereign states. It can only politicizethe Register, and as a result, seriously undermine its integrity and authority. This hasforced China to suspend its participation in the Register since 1998. It is China's hopethat the party concerned can take immediate and feasible measures to rectify its erroneouspractice, so that the seriousness and integrity of the Register can be restored andmaintained.
China actively supports international efforts toaddress the issue of small arms. It is in favor of taking necessary measures to combatillicit activities related to small arms, and prevent the proliferation and excessiveaccumulation of such arms, so as to mitigate the armed conflicts and turbulences in thecountries concerned and curb the further spread of terrorism and drug trafficking.Meanwhile, the Chinese government is of the view that small arms by themselves are not theroot cause of the problem. For most countries, small arms are still an indispensable meansof safeguarding their national defense and social order. In addressing the issue of smallarms, the sovereignty of the relevant countries should be fully respected, and thespecific conditions of different countries and regions should be taken into consideration.It should also be noted that the right of countries to the legitimate possession of andnormal trade in small arms should not be affected.
China participated in the 1998 UN Group ofGovernmental Experts on Small Arms. It supports the convening of the InternationalConference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Aspects in 2001.China also took part in the negotiation of the Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturingof and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition at the UN Ad HocCommittee on the Elaboration of the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crimes witha view to joining the international efforts to combat transnational organized crimes ofillicit manufacture of and trafficking in firearms.
China takes a responsible attitudetoward the manufacture and transfer of small arms, having strict laws and administrativecontrol measures in this regard. The Law of the PRC on the Control of Firearms and TheRegulations of the PRC on the Administration of Arms Exports contain detailed stipulationson the manufacture, transportation, sales, equipment and entry and exit of firearms andammunition, and stipulate stringent penalties for violations.