China, as a party to the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), "has always adopted a serious and responsible attitude towards preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons," and "China never engages in and resolutely opposes the proliferation of nuclear weapons in any form," a senior Chinese diplomat said on Monday.

The statement was contained in a speech by Hu Xiaodi, head of the Chinese delegation to the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2005 NPT Review Conference, which opened on Monday morning.

"To fulfill efficiently its nonproliferation obligations, China has, on the one hand, sped up nuclear export control legislation and regime," he said. "China also exercises a monopolizing and licensing system of nuclear export."

The Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nuclear Material Control, the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Nuclear Export Control and the Regulations of the People' s Republic of China on the Control of Nuclear Dual-Use Items and Related Technologies were issued in 1987, 1997 and 1998 respectively.

"I also would like to take this opportunity to announce that China has completed the domestic legal procedures for the Protocol Additional to the Safeguards Agreement to enter into force," he said,

China formally notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the matter on March 28, and as of that day, the Additional Protocol has become effective in China, he said. "China is the first among the five Nuclear Weapon States to do so. This fully reflects China's positive and responsible attitude towards strengthening the effectiveness of the safeguards regime and fulfilling her nonproliferation obligations."

After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, "the prevention of nuclear weapons proliferation and nuclear terror has become even more important and urgent," he said. "China supports IAEA to step up efforts in this regard."

"China will, based on agreement reached by all parties, make her contribution to the strengthened international efforts in nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear anti-terror," he said.

"As a nuclear weapon State, China has never shied away from her responsibility in nuclear disarmament," he said. "China has, with her own action, made unique contribution to international nuclear disarmament."

"China consistently advocates a complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons," he said. "China has, ever since coming into possession of nuclear weapons, undertaken unconditionally not to be the first to use nuclear weapons and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons States or nuclear-weapon-free zones."

"China has along urged all Nuclear Weapon States to confirm the aforementioned commitment in legal form." he said. "China has always exercised utmost restraint towards developing nuclear weapons, kept her nuclear arsenal at the minimum level for self-defense."

"China has never been in any nuclear arms race, nor has it deployed any nuclear weapons outside of China," he said. "China firmly believes that comprehensively banning nuclear test explosions is an important step in the process towards the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons."

The NPT, which entered into force in 1970 and extended indefinitely in 1990, requires that review conference be held every five year. The treaty, which has a total of 187 State parties, is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear nonproliferation regime.

(China Daily April 9, 2002)