China has reiterated opposition to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) at the first review conference of Chemical Weapons Convention being held in the Hague, Netherlands.

Addressing the conference Monday, China's Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Zhu Zushou said as a victim of chemical weapons in the past, China has always stood for the objectives of the Convention and opposed the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction including chemical weapons.

"Attaching great importance to implementing the Convention, the Chinese government has all along been strictly and earnestly fulfilling its obligations," Zhu said.

He reiterated that China is against all forms of terrorism and has tried its best to implement the Convention in full through both administrative and legislative measures.

He also urged more and better cooperation between countries.

"In recent years, the threat of terrorism has been mounting. Non-traditional security issues are intertwined with more traditional security issues on the international arena. Individual countries are faced with multiplying security challenges, and are thus becoming increasingly interdependent on each other," he said.

On the issue of the chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China, Zhu urged Japan to comply with the Convention provisions and start their destruction as soon as possible.

The Chinese government would like to provide necessary and adequate assistance in this regard, he added.

The OPCW, founded in May 1997, has now 151 member states. It holds a review conference every five years to check the previous implementation work and work out more effective implementation measures for the future.

The on-going 12-day review conference drew more than 800 participants from 116 member states.

(People's Daily April 29, 2003)