Mr. President,

First of all, on behalf of the Chinese delegation, I wish to congratulate you on your election as the President of this Conference.I am confident that under your able steering, this Conference will be a complete success.I also wish to take this opportunity to express our thanks to the Mexican Government for what it has done to make this Conference possible and its thoughtful arrangements for all the delegations.

Mr. President,

The Chinese Government is delighted to note that thanks to the efforts by all countries in the past two years or so, theUN Convention Against Corruptionhas been successfully drafted by the AD Hoc Committee and adopted by the UN General Assembly and is now open for signature at this Conference.This is a milestone in international cooperation against transnational offences of corruption.The Chinese delegation wishes to extend our warm congratulations on the Convention's coming into being and the convocation of this Conference.

Corruption is an ulcer in the economic and political life of human society.It threatens national stability, undermines social justice and severely endangers social tranquility and sustainable development.State resources are eroded and economic development is disrupted when and where the flight of proceeds of corruption occurs.Corruption has become a cross-boundary problem affecting the political, economic and social life of every country in the world.It can only be effectively contained and punished through adequate and comprehensive international cooperation.

It is out of such consideration that the Chinese Government has been supportive of formulating this important international legal instrument against corruption, theUN Convention Against Corruption, and has participated in the whole process of negotiations in a sincere, cooperative and realistic spirit, thus positively contributing to the formation of the Convention.

The Chinese Government has always attached importance to fighting corruption.In accordance with the policy of addressing both symptoms and root causes with a coordinated approach and under the principles of democracy, openness, fairness and justice, we have taken legislative, judicial and law enforcement measures to prevent and combat corruption and have achieved marked results.On the legislative front,Chinais now developing and improving an anti-corruption legal system that attaches equal weight to education, supervision and institution-building.On the judicial front, the Chinese judicial authorities are intensifying efforts to tackle corruption cases as such cases are investigated, prosecuted and adjudicated according to law.On the law enforcement front, codes of conduct for public services have been set up at all levels of government departments to oblige government officials to do better in administrating public affairs according to law, practicing self-discipline and preserving integrity and honesty.Besides, the Chinese Government and law enforcement agencies welcome and subject themselves to supervision from the community and public opinion.A public reporting system has been put in place to broaden public participation in the fight against corruption.At present, the anti-corruption campaign inChinais featured with synergy among the legislative, judicial and administrative bodies and joint participation by the government, society and individuals.The Chinese Government is ready to enter into closer cooperation with other countries and international organizations to prevent and crack down upon corruption.

Mr. President,

TheUN Convention Against Corruptionis the first global legal instrument against corruption.It provides universally accepted norms for tackling transnational corruption, establishes the principle of returning the transferred proceeds of corruption to the original State Party, and, for the first time, sets up the mechanism at the international level to prevent and fight corruption and enhance international cooperation.With the Convention coming into being, we have every reason to be confident that the Convention will lay a solid legal foundation for the international efforts to combat corruption and promote international cooperation in this field.On the other hand, for the Convention to truly play its due role in countering corruption, the key point is that all its provisions must be implemented in good faith.The Chinese Government believes that the following four aspects are of particular importance for the implementation of the Convention.

First, States Parties to the Convention must show their political will for sincere cooperation on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty, equality and mutual benefit;

Second, States Parties must conduct effective international cooperation in legal assistance, repatriation, recovery and return of the proceeds of corruption;

Third, States Parties must exchange and share experience, information and data on preventing acts of corruption, tracing and detecting transfers of proceeds of corruption; and

Fourth, more efforts must be taken to help developing countries build their capacities of preventing and fighting corruption.Special attention must be paid to providing technical and financial assistance to developing and transitional economies.

We are glad to see that on the sidelines of the Conference, four roundtable meetings will be held to discuss issues such as preventive measures, social participation, country legislative measures to implement the Convention and measures to fight corruption in international financial systems.We hope that this Conference will facilitate the early entry into force and earnest implementation of the Convention.

Mr. President,

By having delegates from different countries gathered here in Merida for this Conference for the Purpose of Signing theUN Convention Against Corruption, a clear signal is sent to the entire world once again, that is, the international community will not allow corruption to undermine our sound social fabric, nor will it allow corruption to damage the interests of states, societies and peoples.

Today, as theUN Convention Against Corruptionis open for signature, I will sign the Convention on behalf of the Chinese Government.I wish to reaffirm the strong resolve of the Chinese Government to fight corruption and our commitment to step up international anti-corruption cooperation.We are ready to work with the rest of the international community to create a sound environment in favor of the economic and social development ofChinaand all the other countries and contribute to the advancement of human civilization.

Thank you.