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VI. Actively Promoting International
Arms Control and Disarmament

China has always held that common effort by all nations is necessaryto realize disarmament and safeguard world peace. It has long stressedand supported international community's sustained efforts to promote armscontrol and disarmament. Since China was restored to its rightful seatin the United Nations in 1971, it has even more actively participated ininternational arms control and disarmament activities.

China conscientiously attends meetings of the United Nations GeneralAssembly, the First Committee which considers issues on disarmament andinternational security and the Disarmament Commission of the United Nations.It sent highlevel delegations to the three UN special sessions on disarmamentissues and to the UN Conference on the Relationship Between Disarmamentand Development.

China stresses and supports the conclusion of arms control and disarmamentagreements and treaties through negotiation. Beginning in 1980, it hasformally joined in the work of the Geneva Conference on Disarmament andhas actively promoted negotiations on a wide variety of disarmament issuesand the conclusion of relevant conventions.

China appreciates and supports disarmament activities proposed by theUnited Nations. In 1987, China, in cooperation with the United Nations,hosted the Regional Symposium on World Disarmament Campaign in Beijing.In response to United Nations' proposals, China carried out extensive publicityon disarmament issues and implemented a series of nationwide activitiesincluding an "International Peace Year" and a "DisarmamentDecade." On many occasions it sent representatives to UN expert groupmeetings and symposiums on disarmament and international security issues,conscientiously and responsibly making its own contribution to the draftingof fair and rational research reports.

In international disarmament activities China has consistently givenactive support to reasonable disarmament proposals and initiatives by theThird World countries. In the early 1970s, China supported the proposalby Sri Lanka and other countries that the Indian Ocean be designated aZone of Peace. In 1973, China signed the Additional Protocol II of theTreaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and theCaribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco) and in 1987 the relevant protocols ofthe South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga). Chinahas always respected and supported the demands of the countries concernedfor the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones on the basis of voluntaryconsultation and agreement and in accordance with actual local circumstances.Given this consistent position, China welcomes the African Nuclear-Weapon-FreeZone Treaty agreed upon by the African nations, and supports the proposalby relevant nations on the establishment of nuclear-free zones in the KoreanPeninsula, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Correspondingly,China holds bilateral consultations with various nations on arms controland disarmament issues, either on regular or ad hoc basis.

China has acceded to a series of major international arms control anddisarmament treaties and conventions, including the Protocol for the Prohibitionof the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of BacteriologicalMethods of Warfare, the Convention on Prohibition or Restriction on theUse of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be ExcessivelyInjurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, the Antarctic Treaty, theTreaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in theExploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other CelestialBodies, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Productionand Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and onTheir Destruction, the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement ofNuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Seabed andthe Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil Thereof, and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferationof Nuclear Weapons. China is also signatory to the Convention on the Prohibitionof the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weaponsand on Their Destruction. China attaches great importance to the activerole these international legal documents play in promoting internationalarms control and disarmament and has earnestly and conscientiously fulfilledits own obligations under the agreements. A Chinese delegation is currentlyactively participating in the negotiation on the Comprehensive NuclearTest Ban Treaty and the Convention on Banning the Production of FissileMaterials for Nuclear Weapons or Other Nuclear Explosive Devices.

China is actively promoting the international arms control and disarmamentprocess with both real actions on its own part and many realistic and reasonableproposals.

As early as 1963, the Chinese government issued a statement callingfor the complete, thorough, utter and resolute prohibition and destructionof nuclear weapons. China has persistently exercised great restraint inthe development of nuclear weapons and its nuclear arsenal has been verylimited. It has developed nuclear weapons for self-defence, not as a threatto other countries. It has not joined and will not join in the nucleararms race and has consistently maintained restraint over nuclear testing.

The Chinese government has from the beginning opposed nuclear blackmailand the nuclear deterrent policy. On October 16, 1964, the Chinese governmentoffered a solemn proposal: a summit conference be held to discussthe complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons andthat nuclear-weapon states commit themselves not to use nuclear weaponsagainst non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones or againsteach other. From the first day it gained nuclear weapons, China has solemnlyundertaken not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and inany circumstance and unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclearweapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.China as a nuclear-weapon state never shies away from its due obligations,advocating that nuclear-weapon states should undertake not to be the firstto use nuclear weapons and repeatedly proposing that nuclear-weapon statesnegotiate and conclude an international treaty on the no-first-use of nuclearweapons against each other. In January 1994, China formally presented adraft for the Treaty on the No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons to the UnitedStates, Russia, Britain, France and other countries, proposing that thefive nuclear-weapon states hold first-round discussions on the treaty inBeijing as soon as possible. On April 5, 1995, China made another officialstatement, reiterating its unconditional provision of "negative securityassurance" to all non-nuclear-weapon states, at the same time undertakingto provide these nations with "positive security assurance."These positions taken by China have won the support of a great many countrieswithout nuclear weapons.

China advocates prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons aspart of the process of eliminating such weapons. In May 1995, at the Conferenceon the Review and Extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of NuclearWeapons, China supported the decision to indefinitely extend the treatyand the three decisions on the principles and objectives for nuclear non-proliferationand disarmament, on enhancing the review process of the treaty and on theMiddle East Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. China holds that the results of theconference accord with the interests of all the parties to thetreaty and will help maintain world peace, security and stability. Chinabelieves that the indefinite extension of this treaty reaffirms the objectivesof international cooperation in nuclear disarmament, the prevention ofnuclear proliferation and the promotion of the peaceful use of nuclearenergy and should not be interpreted as permitting the nuclear-weapon statesto retain possession of nuclear weapons forever.

During the cold war, China resolutely opposed the arms race betweenthe two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, and stressedthat the key to success in disarmament laid in the two superpowers takingreal action on their own initiative. In 1978 at the First Special Sessionon Disarmament of the United Nations, China proposed that, as the two superpowershad more nuclear and conventional arms than any other country, they musttake the lead in disarmament. In 1982 at the Second Special Session onDisarmament of the United Nations, China went a step further by puttingforth a concrete proposal: The United States and the Soviet Union shouldstop testing, improving and producing nuclear weapons and should take thelead in drastically reducing their stockpiles of all types of nuclear weaponsand means of delivery. China's proposal that the "two superpowerstake the lead" met with uniform approval from the international communityand has played an active role in promoting negotiations between the twonations, creating actual progress towards disarmament.

In an effort to step by step realize the objective of building a worldfree from nuclear weapons, in 1994 China put forward a complete, interrelatedproposal for the nuclear disarmament process at the 49th Session of theUN General Assembly. All nuclear-weapon states should declare unconditionallythat they will not be the first to use nuclear weapons and immediatelybegin negotiations towards a treaty to this effect; efforts to establishnuclear-weapon-free zones should be supported and guarantees given notto use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weaponstates or nuclear-weapon-free zones; a comprehensive nuclear test ban treatybe negotiated and concluded no later than 1996; the major nuclear powersshould implement existing nuclear disarmament treaties as scheduled andfurther substantially reduce their nuclear weapon stockpiles; a conventionbanning production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons be negotiatedand concluded; a convention prohibiting all nuclear weapons be signed,whereby all nuclear-weapon states undertake to completely destroy existingstocks of nuclear weapons under effective international supervision; preventthe proliferation of nuclear weapons while promoting nuclear disarmamentprocess and international cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Nuclear disarmament and conventional disarmament have all along beenthe two priority tasks in the sphere of disarmament. In 1986, China presentedtwo proposals on nuclear and conventional disarmament for the first timeat the UN General Assembly, pointing out that the United States and theSoviet Union had special responsibilities both for nuclear and conventionaldisarmament. Subsequently, for five years China had presented these twoproposals to the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, and they hadbeen adopted by consensus. This action on China's part played an importantrole in generating real progress in nuclear and conventional disarmamentin the late 1980s and early 1990s.

China opposes the arms race in outer space. Beginning in 1984, it hason numerous occasions proposed to the UN General Assembly draft resolutionson preventing such arms race. China maintains that outer space belongsto all mankind and should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Nocountry should develop any kind of weapon to be used in outer space: outerspace should be kept "weapon free."

In recent years, the issue of transparency in armaments has attracteda great deal of attention in all countries. In 1991, China submitted aworking paper to the Disarmament Commission of the United Nationsentitled "Basic Positions on Objective Information on Military Matters,"presenting an overview of China's position: Transparency in armaments isaimed at advancing peace, security and stability for every country andregion and the entire world; accordingly the fundamental principle thatthe security of individual states should not be compromised should be upheld.The specific measures for transparency should be decided on through equalconsultations by all countries and be implemented on voluntary basis. Theseprinciples play an active role in promoting the implementation of properand feasible transparency measures.

China attaches great importance to regional disarmament. In 1991, Chinasubmitted a working paper on regional disarmament to the Disarmament Commissionof the United Nations containing a complete set of principles and positions.Bilateral, regional and multilateral disarmament should be mutually promoting.The creation of favourable external conditions and environment is absolutelynecessary in the promotion of regional disarmament; countries outside theregion, particularly those with the largest arsenals, should actively cooperatewith and give energetic support to regional disarmament efforts. In consideringregional disarmament issues, interregional differences in security environmentand level of armament should be acknowledged and respected; in terms ofmeasures to be taken or process to be followed there is no model applicablefor all regions. China's position as above was adopted in the main in theDisarmament Commission's final document.

China is located in the Asian-Pacific region, and understandably isspecially concerned with the security, stability, peace and developmentin this region. In 1994, China presented three basic objectives for theregion's security: maintenance of stability and prosperity in China, safeguardinglong-term peace and stability in its surrounding environment, and initiatingdialogues and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and equality.In cognizance of the Asian-Pacific region's particular circumstances, Chinaholds that with regard to security and cooperation in the region the followingprinciples and measures to realize them should be followed and adopted:On the basis of the Charter of the United Nations and the Five Principlesof Peaceful Coexistence [mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty,mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs,equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence], establish a newmutual respect and friendly relationship between nations; with promotingcommon economic development as the objective, establish economic relationsbased on equality, mutual benefit and mutual cooperation; settle conflictsand disputes between nations within the region through consultation onthe basis of the principle of equality and peaceful resolution, so as tostep by step remove the factors of instability in the region; with thepromotion of the region's peace and security as the purpose, adhere tothe principle of arms only being used in defence and refrain from any formof arms race; and promote various forms of bilateral or multilateral dialoguesand consultations on security issue so as to strengthen trust and understanding.China's position has won understanding and support from most of the Asian-Pacificcountries.

China has consistently stressed friendly, good-neighbourly relationswith adjacent countries and has actively promoted measures to establishbilateral trust. In recent years, China has held multi-level consultationswith a number of neighbouring countries and has taken a series of practicalactions. China and the former Soviet Union signed an Agreement on PrinciplesGoverning the Mutual Reduction of Military Forces and the Enhancement ofConfidence in the Military Field in the Border Areas. The leading figuresof China and Russia issued a joint statement "on no first use of nuclearweapons against each other and on not targeting their respective strategicnuclear weapons at each other." China and India concluded an Agreementon the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquillity Along the Line of Actual Controlin the Border Areas. At the two nations' request, China issued a statementproviding security guarantees to Ukraine and Kazakhstan.