China’s Foreign Minister addresses the CD

The Foreign Minister of China, H.E. Yang Jiechi, addressed the Conference on Disarmament (CD) during a plenary meeting on Wednesday morning. He outlined China’s commitment to international peace and security, emphasizing its “unique contribution to the cause of nuclear disarmament.” This contribution includes:

- not deploying nuclear weapons on foreign soil;
- not participating in any arms races;
- promoting early ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT);
- supporting the launch of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) and taking an active part in these negotiations;
- joining all treaties related to preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and putting in place “a comprehensive system of laws and regulations compatible with the relevant international legal regime,” and strictly enforcing UNSC 1540; and
- calling for a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula and in Iran, “with a view to safeguarding [the] international non-proliferation regime and maintaining regional peace and security.”

Disarmament
Minister Yang said that the Chinese government welcomes the new momentum for “the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons and a nuclear-weapon-free world.” He explained that the government believes that in order to achieve these goals, nuclear disarmament must be pursued in earnest. He specified:

The United States and Russia should drastically reduce their nuclear arsenals “so as to create necessary conditions for the eventual complete and thorough nuclear disarmament”;

Nuclear weapon states should reduce the role of nuclear weapons in their security doctrines, commit to no first use, and consider China’s draft treaty on no first use of nuclear weapons;

The international community should negotiate and conclude a legal instrument on negative security assurances;

Nuclear weapon states should support the establishment of nuclear weapon free zone treaties and fulfill their obligations to these zones;

The international community should strive for the entry into force of the CTBT and negotiation of a FMCT;

Countries should not develop missile defence systems “that undermine global strategic stability” or deploy weapons in outer space; and

As a “long-term goal,” the international community should “conclude a convention on the complete prohibition of nuclear weapons.”

Non-proliferation
Minister Yang also specified that to eliminate the risk of nuclear proliferation, the international community should:

“enhance the universality, authority, and effectiveness” of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty;

strengthen the function of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and promote implementation of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol;

resolve proliferation issues through diplomatic means;

eradicate the root causes of nuclear weapon proliferation;

reject practice of double-standards; and

strengthen the safety and security of nuclear facilities and improve nuclear export control regimes.

Nuclear energy
Addressing the NPT’s “third pillar,” Minister Yang said that to achieve the complete prohibition and destruction of nuclear weapons, the international community must promote nuclear energy, by:

respecting NPT signatory rights to nuclear energy;

encouraging the IAEA to play a bigger role in promoting the “peaceful uses” of nuclear energy; and

engage in multilateral consultations to reduce proliferation risks, including the possibility of establishing a multilateral nuclear fuel supply mechanism.

Outer space
Finally, Minister Yang emphasized the importance of preserving outer space for peaceful uses and expressed hope that the CD would soon start substantive discussions on the Russia-China draft treaty on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space.

Next meeting
At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Caroline Millar of Australia, the current CD president, explained that no further meetings are scheduled for this week. She said an announcement will be made once the CD has reached consensus on the framework for implementing its programme of work for 2009.

- Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will of WILPF