Mr. Chairman,

Under-Secretary-General Jayantha Dhanapala,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to extend, on behalf of the Chinese Government, congratulations on the convocation of the International Conference on A Disarmament Agenda for the 21st Century and warm welcome to Your Excellency Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and to government officials, experts and scholars from various countries. It is the third time for China to cosponsor with the UN an international conference on disarmament issues. I wish to express my appreciation to the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs for its endeavor made for this conference. As host, the Chinese Government will exert its utmost efforts toward the success of the conference.

Looking back on the last century, the human society witnessed tremendous achievements in the economic, scientific and technological fields, but meanwhile the two world wars and the Cold War brought unprecedented sufferings to mankind. Since the end of the Cold War, the international situation has moved towards relaxation, and a lot of progress has been made in the process of arms control and disarmament. However, some developments in recent years have posed new challenges to this process. It is highly necessary and timely to hold earnest and in-depth discussions and studies on the current important disarmament issues centered on the theme of Disarmament Agenda for the 21st Century.

Arms control and disarmament have always been closely related to international peace, stability and security. A sound international security environment is conducive to the process of arms control and disarmament, while progress in arms control and disarmament can help lay a more solid foundation for the preservation of international security. In the new century, the trend toward a multipolar world and economic globalization as well as the rapid development of science and technology have brought the international community unprecedented opportunities for cooperation and development but at the same time new challenges to international security. At present, the international community is facing more and more diversified threats to its security. The traditional and non-traditional security factors are intertwined, and the non-traditional ones have become increasingly salient. The unpredictability in global security is rising sharply. Terrorism, drug trafficking, organized cross-border crimes, environmental deterioration and other issues bear on the common interests of all countries, and their interdependence in security is ever deepening. Therefore, all countries should foster the concept of seeking security through cooperation, dialogue, mutual trust and development. Problems should be solved through multilateral cooperation and comprehensive measures, rather than resorting to unilateralism or force. Only in this way can we create a peaceful and stable macro-environment of international security and can there be a driving force for the sustained development in arms control and disarmament and other fields.

History has always been a process of inheritance and development. Inheritance does not mean sticking in a rut and development does not mean severance from history. Arms control and disarmament are no exception. Thanks to joint efforts over the years, the international community has established a set of relatively complete legal system for arms control and disarmament. As an important component of the global collective security framework with the UN at its center, this system has increased the predictability of the international relations and played an important role in safeguarding international peace, security and stability. Under the new circumstances, it is vital to maintain the existing arms control legal system and continue to promote the arms control and disarmament process. Only by so doing, can the international community enhance mutual trust and cooperation in a joint effort to cope with various new threats. The practice of abandoning or weakening this process and seeking security through expanding unilateral military advantages will not only fail to address the problems but instead will exert serious impact on international strategic stability. Arms control and disarmament are at a crucial moment when failure to advance would mean retrogression. What course to follow has a lot to do with whether mankind could prevent the repeat of following the same old road of the last century and whether it could create a peaceful, stable and prosperous 21st century. We should take it as an urgent task in the international security area to maintain the integrity and authority of the disarmament legal system and to promote the process of arms control and disarmament. As the most broadly based international political organization, the UN should continue to play a leading role in this respect.

Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has always been a thorny issue facing the international community. In recent years, the threat of terrorist organizations and other non-state actors has been on the rise. To prevent such entities from obtaining weapons of mass destruction is a new challenge to the international non-proliferation efforts. The existing international non-proliferation regimes need to be strengthened and improved so as to avoid discrimination and expand their universality, and a balance should be kept between non-proliferation and peaceful use of science and technology. We also need to seek avenues to tackle the threat of proliferation by fostering new ideas and perspectives. Since proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has complex root causes, its settlement should not be limited to non-proliferation itself, but rather be approached by addressing both the symptoms and root causes. The fundamental way to eliminate its threat is to establish a fair and reasonable new international order, step up international cooperation and generally improve international relations. Unilateralism is not only of no help, but rather would trigger off further proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Therefore, it is an important task for the international community right now to give full play to the role of the United Nations and other international organizations and establish a fair, reasonable and effective multilateral non-proliferation system based on the participation of all countries.

Outer space is the common property of all mankind, and the peaceful uses of outer space are the shared aspiration of humanity. Advances in science and technology have made it possible to explore and harness resources in outer space for the benefit of mankind. For instance, outer space is playing a growing role in, among other things, promoting scientific research, developing telecommunications and protecting environment, and all aspects of people's everyday life are closely linked with it. Nevertheless, development of science and technology has also made it possible to reduce outer space to a new battlefield. Over the past decades, there have always been discordant noises about developing and deploying outer space weapon systems, and it is only due to the limits of specific historical conditions that these attempts have failed to turn into reality. In recent years, along with technological development, a scheme to "control outer space" has asserted itself and outer space is in danger of being weaponized. This will not only impede the peaceful uses of outer space, but also cause serious negative impact on international security configuration. As mankind has entered the 21st century, we should draw lessons from history, negotiate and conclude at an early date legally binding international instruments to prevent the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space, so as to keep outer space far away from flames of war and retain a tranquil sky for ourselves as well as our future generations.

As a developing country whose central task is economic development, China needs an international environment of lasting peace. It is ready to work with other countries and play its part in the maintenance of international peace and security. China has all along actively supported and participated in the international endeavor for arms control and disarmament. We believe that so long as the international community draws lessons from history and past experience and stick to the road of peace and development, all the difficulties and problems we face can be overcome and resolved and the 21st century should become a new century of peace and prosperity.

The agenda items of this conference are all major issues in current international endeavor for arms control and disarmament, which deserve profound discussion. I am sure that our exchanges will help us deepen mutual understanding, narrow differences and come up with useful proposals on promoting the international efforts for arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. At the return of Spring, we have every reason to believe that with concerted efforts, the international endeavor for arms control and disarmament will no doubt be blessed with new opportunities. I sincerely wish this conference a complete success. Finally, I wish all of you a pleasant stay in China.

Thank you.