As the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) plays a positive role in promoting the international arms control and disarmament process. China has all along attached great importance to the CD and participated in its work in an active and constructive manner.

Regrettably, the CD has been unable to conduct substantive work in recent years. China believes that the disputes over the CD?s Programme of Work reflect the divergent views of various parties on international disarmament priorities. The work in the CD has to take into full account of such a fact and address the concerns of all parties in a comprehensive and balanced way.

China believes that the three major outstanding CD agenda items, namely, Nuclear Disarmament, Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) and the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), should be treated on an equal footing. We look forward to the commencement of substantive work on PAROS with a view to negotiating relevant international legal instruments. We have always been supportive of and are prepared to participate in the FMCT negotiations. Meanwhile, we are also in favor of substantive work on nuclear disarmament in the CD. China is now engaged in consultations with all sides in a constructive manner and actively promoting the formulation of a Programme of Work so that work can start in the above-mentioned fields.