Madame Chairperson,
At the outset, please allow me, on behalf of the Chinese delegation, to congratulate you on your election as the chairperson of the Executive Council. The Chinese delegation and I, along with all the other delegations, will actively support you in your work, and contribute to the smooth proceeding of all the deliberations during this session.
China wishes to thank the Director-General and the Vice-Chairpersons for their respective reports, and associates itself with the statement delivered by Azerbaijan on behalf of the States Parties of the Non-aligned Movement and China. Now, please allow me to elaborate China’s position further.
Madame Chairperson,
Faced with the combined impacts of the major changes and the pandemic both unseen in a century, the international community needs now more than ever to promote peace and development, equity and justice, as well as common security. Most recently, in his written message addressed to the Conference on Disarmament, Mr. Wang Yi, State Counselor and Foreign Minister of China, called for the international community to vigorously advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are common values of humanity; commit to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security at the global level; and resolutely uphold the authority and sanctity of the United Nations. He emphasized that the international community should advance steadily the reform of the global security governance system as well as the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes, and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind that enjoys lasting peace and universal security. China, deeply concerned about the current politicisation in this Organisation, calls on States Parties to further build unity and cooperation, safeguard the tradition of seeking consensus, and jointly uphold the authority and effectiveness of the Convention. In relation to the strengthening of the Convention, China would like to make the following propositions.
Firstly, we should steadfastly carry on with the destruction of chemical weapons. The destruction of chemical weapons is the core object of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and a pivotal step towards the realization of “a world free of chemical weapons”. China has noted the progress in the recent years in the destruction of chemical weapons stockpile, and urges the only remaining Possessor State to complete its destruction as soon as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused further delays in the destruction of Japanese ACWs. China regrets that Japan has failed to complete the destruction of its ACW by the deadline stipulated by the Convention and the relevant Council decision. China urges Japan to earnestly fulfil its obligations as an Abandoning State, speed up the destruction process, and properly address such prominent issues as the contaminated soil. China will continue to provide its cooperation as always.
Secondly, we should vigorously promote international cooperation. As a key pillar of the Convention, international cooperation is the direction in which the OPCW’s transition should head. China attaches great importance to international cooperation, and has always supported the Secretariat in carrying out various international cooperation activities. China encourages all parties to take the opportunity of the opening of the Centre for Chemistry and Technology to step up inputs in international cooperation and to effectively augment capacity-building for States Parties. In addition, the 76th session of the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on “Promoting International Cooperation on Peaceful Uses in the Context of International Security”, which will be conducive to addressing the relationship between non-proliferation and peaceful uses in a balanced way by all states, and will facilitate the peaceful use and sharing of technologies and resources in the areas concerned, including chemistry. China hopes that all parties will actively take part in the follow-up process of the General Assembly.
Thirdly, we should steadfastly safeguard the authority and effectiveness of the Convention. The Convention constitutes the basis and yardstick for resolving chemical weapons-related issues. Hence, addressing them in compliance with the provisions of the Convention is the only right approach. With regard to the alleged use of chemical weapons, the Fact-Finding Mission should investigate such incidents strictly in line with the provisions of the Convention and its Verification Annex, and in the spirit of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism. China believes that the decision on “Addressing the Threat from Chemical Weapons Use” and the establishment of the Investigation and Identification Team have gone beyond the scope of the Convention. The Secretariat should conduct its investigation of the incidents of the use of chemical weapons stringently in accordance with the stipulations of the Convention and its Verification Annex. China has noted that in their statement during the general debate, some states accused the Russian Federation of poisoning Alexei Navalny. China is of the view that the parties concerned should address their differences through consultation and dialogue according to the provisions of the Convention, instead of arbitrarily resorting to sanctions or the threat of sanctions.
Fourthly, we should draw up a viable and pragmatic plan for the future development of this Organisation. 2022 is a vital year linking the past with the future for the OPCW, when States Parties will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention and hence the establishment of the OPCW. In the meantime, they will initiate the preparation for the Fifth Review Conference. At this juncture, we should both take stock of the past and look to the future. China welcomes the establishment of the Open-ended Working Group for the Preparation of the Fifth Review Conference, and is ready to actively participate in this process. China will work in full collaboration with all the other parties to enable the OPCW to continuously play an indispensable role in the realization of “a world free of chemical weapons”, and in the maintenance of international peace, security and stability.
Madame Chairperson,
China pays high attention to the implementation of the Convention. Despite the impacts caused by the pandemic, China has earnestly honoured its obligations under the Convention, while having submitted its national declarations timely and efficiently and reinforced its management of the import and export of the scheduled chemicals. In addition, China has actively staged publicity and education campaigns on the implementation, guided universities and enterprises to hold activities of educational outreach, carried out events for the general public to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention, and raise the awareness of young students, chemical industry and the whole society about the implementation of the Convention, thus making remarkable contributions to the full and effective implementation.
The Chinese delegation requests that this statement be circulated as an official document of this session and uploaded to the public website and external server of the OPCW.
Thank you, Madame Chairperson.