On April 20, Vice Foreign Minister Qiao Zonghuai met with UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Nobuyasu Abe who was in China to attend the UN Seminar on Small Arms.

Qiao pointed out as a big and responsible nation, China gives top priority to and takes an active part in international arms control and anti-proliferation process, and is continuously enhancing and improving its legal system on the control of exit for proliferation. China consistently holds that international disputes should be settled through peaceful means, attaches importance to the role of the United Nations in international peace and security, and supports the UN to play a bigger role.

Abe thanked China for jointly sponsoring the UN Seminar on Small Arms, believing it demonstrates the priority given by China to the issue of small arms and the multilateral arms control and disarmament process.

The two sides also exchanged views on the current international situation in arms control, regional issues in Africa and the 7th Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.