Working Paper

Agenda – Preventing nuclear proliferation and ensuring disarmament.

Author – People's Republic of China
1. The complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, with the
ultimate attainment of a nuclear-weapon-free world, serve the common interests of
mankind and constitute a shared aspiration of all countries.
2. Today, the international security environment is undergoing a complex array of
profound changes, with existing international arms control and non-proliferation
system brought under severe strain. Cold war mentality has resurged as the prism
through which some major country assesses international security environment and
the basis for the formulation of its strategic security polices. The world is confronted
with a critical choice between unilateralism and multilateralism, confrontation and
dialogue, isolation and openness, zero-sum game and win-win progress. The
international community is generally concerned about the exacerbating international
environment.
China believes that, under current circumstances, it is ever more important to
underline the conducive role that the consistent nuclear disarmament progress could
play in improving international security environment, and is more pertinent than ever
for all countries to jointly champion multilateralism, oppose and discard cold war
mentality, and to uphold the authority and effectiveness of the multilateral mechanism
with the NPT included. Over the years, US-Russia bilateral nuclear disarmament
agreement have contributed to international peace and security. Joint efforts by
nuclear weapon States to preserve the authority of NPT and the rule -based
international order, as well as persistent fulfillment of their obligations under those
bilateral and multilateral arms control agreements to which they are parties, will make
great contributions to continued improvement of the international security
environment.
3. With this understanding, China has the following viewpoints:
a. Bear in mind the historical responsibility of building a community of shared future
for mankind through consultation and joint efforts, promote the building of a new
form of international relations characterized by mutual respect, fairness, justice
and win-win cooperation, uphold a concept of common, comprehensive,
cooperative and sustainable security, fully respect and accommodate the legitimate
and reasonable security concerns for all states, and strive to build a peaceful and
stable international security environment.
b. Take fair and reasonable nuclear disarmament steps of gradual reduction towards
a downward balance, relevant measures should follow the principles of
“maintaining global strategic stability” and “undiminished security for all”.
Countries possessing the largest nuclear arsenals bear special and primary
responsibility for nuclear disarmament and should continue to make drastic and
substantive reductions in their nuclear arsenals in a verifiable, irreversible and
legally binding manner while faithfully implementing their existing nuclear arms
reduction treatie s. This would create necessary conditions for other nuclear-
weapon states to join in multilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament.
 c. Diminish the role of nuclear weapons in national security doctrines, and abandon
the policies of nuclear deterrence based on the first-use of nuclear weapons. All
nuclear-weapon states should commit to no-first-use of nuclear weapons
unconditionally, and conclude international legal instruments in this regard. The
historic process of banning biological and chemical weapons shows that “no-
firstuse” is the most practical, feasible and valuable means of nuclear disarmament
at present.
d. All nuclear-weapon States should commit themselves to the effective
implementation of Article 6 of the NPT, abide by the outcomes of previous NPT
Review Conferences, and openly declare that they have no intention to seek
permanent possession of nuclear weapons. Relevant nuclear-weapon States should
put an end to the policy and practice of nuclear umbrella and nuclear sharing, and
withdraw all nuclear weapons that are deployed in other countries. Building
nuclearweapon-free zones is an important step towards realizing a nuclear-
weapon-free world. Nuclear-weapon States should support in a more active
manner the efforts by non-nuclear-weapon states to build nuclear-weapon-free
zones on the basis of consultations among themselves and voluntary agreements
e. The three pillars of NPT, i.e. Nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and
peaceful use of nuclear energy are complementing each other and should not be
partially neglected. The international community should promote the three pillars
in a comprehensive and balanced manner, oppose double standards, maintain and
strengthen the authority, universality and effectiveness of the treaty.

4. As a nuclear-weapon State, China has never evaded its responsibility, and has
earnestly been fulfilling its obligation of nuclear disarmament, strictly adhered to the
outcomes of previous NPT Review Conferences, and made sincere contributions to
promoting nuclear disarmament through concrete actions.
- China remains committed to the path of peaceful development, adhering to a
nuclear strategy of self-defense, and upholding an open, transparent and
responsible nuclear policy.
- China has never deployed any nuclear weapons abroad, has never participated in
nuclear arms race of any kind, nor will China participate in the future. China ’s
nuclear force is always kept at the minimal level required by national security
- China undertakes not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under
any circumstances, and unconditionally commits itself not to use or threaten to use
nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States or nuclear-weapon-free
zones. This is the most transparent policy, and the most consistent commitment.
- China supports the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-TestBan,
and has strictly observed its commitment to a moratorium on nuclear testing.
China is making steady progress in domestic preparation for the implementation
of the Treaty. A batch of IMS monitoring stations in China has been certified by
the PTS, highlighting China’s firm support to the Treaty.
- China supports the early commencement of negotiation on FMCT under the
framework of the Conference on Disarmament, on the basis of an agreement on a
comprehensive and balanced program of work, pursuant to the Shannon Report
 (CD/1299) and the mandate contained therein. The United Nations FMCT
HighLevel Preparatory Group has accomplished its mission, and China supports
the CD to establish the subsidiary body to continue relevant technical discussions.
- China supports all sides to have frank, practical and meaningful dialogues on
international security environment, global strategic stability, reducing risks of
nuclear war, etc., within the existing regime.
- China values the constructive dialogues with non-nuclear-weapon states, and fully
understands the good will of non-nuclear-weapon States to speed up international
nuclear disarmament. China stands ready to maintain communication and
engagement with non-nuclear-weapon States with a view to preserving and
strengthening the current nuclear disarmament mechanism, and to achieving the
ultimate goal of a world free of nuclear weapons with a step - by-step approach.
5. China will continue to play an active and constructive role in enhancing unity and
cooperation of the international community, advancing the common cause of nuclear
disarmament, and promoting international peace and stability.