Working Paper

Agenda – Preventing nuclear proliferation and ensuring disarmament.

Author – People's Republic of China
1. Regional security and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear
weapons, are closely interrelated. All parties concerned should make further efforts to
promote the peace process in the Middle East in a spirit of reconciliation and
cooperation, in order to enhance the peace and stability in the region.
2. China maintains that concrete efforts should be made to advance the process of
establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass
destruction in accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions, the resolution
on the Middle East adopted at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference and
relevant provisions of the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference. Great
importance should be attached to relevant proposals by the countries in the Middle
East to implement the resolution on the Middle East adopted at the 1995 Review and
Extension Conference at an early date.
3. Israel should accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon State
and place all its nuclear facilities under the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) safeguards without delay. The States concerned in this region should sign and
ratify Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements with IAEA and be encouraged to sign
and ratify the Additional Protocol. All these measures are essential for strengthening
the international non-proliferation regime and promoting the establishment of a zone
free of nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle
East.
4. Parties concerned should pursue peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue through
diplomatic negotiations. Political and diplomatic efforts should be intensified to seek
a long-term, comprehensive and appropriate solution.
5. The establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, as a key step towards a world
without nuclear weapons, is of great significance to achieving the goals of nuclear
disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, as well as promoting global and regional
peace and security
6. The international community should continue to support the establishment of nuclear-
weapon-free zones in accordance with article VII of the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, as well as the principles and guidelines for the
establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone recommended by the Disarmament
Commission in its report of 1999.
7. The nuclear-weapon States should undertake unconditionally not to use or threaten to
use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States or nuclearweapon-free zones,
and conclude an international legal instrument to this end.
8. The nuclear-weapon States should respect the legal status of nuclear-weaponfree
zones, sign and ratify protocols to treaties on nuclear-weapon-free zones, and take
concrete measures to implement the security assurances stipulated in relevant
protocols. In this regard, support should be given to the resumption of consultation
between the P5 and the member States of the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear
Weapon-Free Zone, with a view to signing the Protocol to this Treaty at an early date
on the basis of the existing consensus.
9. The trilateral cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines among the United States,
the United Kingdom and Australia will be the first time for nuclear-weapon States to
transfer a naval nuclear propulsion reactor and the associated nuclearweapon-grade
highly enriched uranium to a non-nuclear-weapon State. It poses serious risks of
nuclear proliferation in contravention of the object and purpose of the Non-
Proliferation Treaty, undermines the efforts of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
countries to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone, and does harm to the South Pacific
Nuclear Free Zone Treaty. The international community should firmly oppose it.
10. The establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East is conducive to
preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and easing tensions in the Middle
East, as well as promoting global and regional peace and security. While promoting
reconciliation and cooperation among countries in the Middle East and advancing the
peace process of the Middle East, the international community should continue to
support the establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other
Weapons of Mass Destruction. Relevant resolutions and decisions of successive
sessions of the General Assembly, the resolution on the Middle East adopted by the
1995 Review Conference, as well as relevant provisions of the Final Documents
adopted by the 2000 and the 2010 Review Conferences should be earnestly
implemented. Efforts should also be made to facilitate the convening o f the
Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and
Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, in accordance with the decision of the seventy-
third session of the General Assembly (73/546).
11. Israel should accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon State as
soon as possible. States concerned in the Middle East should sign and ratify the
comprehensive safeguards agreement with IAEA as early as possible. The
international community should continue to encourage States concerned in the Middle
East to sign and ratify the additional protocols to the comprehensive safeguards
agreements with IAEA.
12. The Chinese Government has consistently supported the establishment of a Middle
East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, and
took a constructive part in the first Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East
Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, held in
November 2019, calling on the international community to support the efforts of
countries in the region to establish a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and
Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.