China has made notable achievements in implementing the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC) in 2000, a senior Chinese official said at
a national conference.
Li
Rongrong, vice minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission,
said that China's efforts have won international recognition at the
two-day conference, which concluded Tuesday.
Officials with the Foreign Ministry, the State Economic and Trade
Commission, Ministry of National Defense, the Legislative Affairs
Office of the State Council, the State Administration of Industry
and Commerce, and local officials participated in the
conference.
Li
asked departments concerned to pay more attention to the
implementation of the Convention and make greater efforts to ensure
its successful implementation in the future.
The National CWC Implementation Office (NIO) is now under the State
Economic and Trade Commission. Previously, the office was under the
Ministry of Chemical Industry and State Administration of Chemical
and Petrochemical Industries before the Chinese government
reshuffle.
Sha Zukang, director general of the Arms Control and Disarmament
Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, spoke highly of the
achievements.
He
said that China, as a permanent member of the Security Council of
the United Nations, is a responsible state and a victim of chemical
weapons during Japanese aggression. "China must fulfill its
obligations under the CWC in the most earnest way," he said.
Sha stressed that the implementation of the CWC has a bearing on
international and regional peace and stability.
Participants also discussed the working report by Gu Juesheng,
deputy director general of the NIO.
They also discussed the preparation of declaration data to be
submitted to the international organization, the reception of
international inspections, the management of controlled chemicals
and the strengthening of local implementation organs.
The CWC, which went into effect in 1997, is an important instrument
in international disarmament and arms control, aiming to realize
prohibition and thorough destruction of chemical weapons.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an
international organization monitoring the implementation of the
CWC, was established in May 1997.
China has been consistently favoring the comprehensive ban and
total destruction of chemical weapons.
The Chinese government ratified the CWC in 1996, and a Leading
Group for the implementation came into existence headed by Vice
Premier Wu Bangguo in 1997.
The executive organization of the Group, the National
Implementation Office, is responsible for the routine work.
In
spite of the temporary difficulties brought by the institutional
reform, the Leading Group is still in operation, and the NIO
retains its status and function.
Since 1997, China has submitted all kinds of declaration pursuant
to the CWC and received 30-odd international inspections.
(Xinhua 01/16/2001)