The statement came as Hu Xiaodi, the Chinese ambassador in charge of disarmament, was delivering his speech at the First Committee of the General Assembly.

Hu is also head of the Chinese delegation to the meeting at the First Committee, which is responsible for disarmament and international security.

"This session is held against a special backdrop," Hu said, referring to the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and other parts of the United States, which have claimed more than 5,000 lives.

"The terrorist attacks in the U.S. have once again highlighted the importance of international cooperation in safeguarding world peace and the security of countries," he said.

"They clearly show that in the 21st century when security challenges are increasingly diversified with the rapid development of science and technology and the steady deepening of economic globalization, only international cooperation can bring about real security," he said.

"To establish a new concept of security based on international cooperation has become a pressing task of our time," he said. "International arms control and disarmament naturally fit into such a new security concept."

"With the concerted efforts of the international community in the past decades, a basis legal system governing international arms control and disarmament has been put in place," he said.

"It has become part and parcel of the global collective security architecture centered around the United Nations and plays a crucial role in maintaining the global and regional security order," he said.

In the new situation, this international legal system should not be undermined in its integrity and authority, he said. "Instead, it should be strengthened and improved."

"Any act that detracts from this legal system will prove to be shortsighted, and will only add uncertainty and unpredictability to the international security landscape, which serves nobody's security interest," he said.

"The terrorist attacks in the United States will have far-reaching ramifications for the international community," he said. "In face of this horrendous human tragedy, every government needs to seriously reflect upon its own security strategy and priorities."

"The bloodshed and the terror have amply testified that a Maginot-type missile defense simply is not the way to counter the treat of terrorism," he said.

"Such a defense can only bring to the world a false sense of security, mistrust among nations, and the ensuing detriments to the international security," he said.

"Here we call upon the country concerned to heed the appeal of the international community, stop the development and deployment of destabilizing missile defense systems," he said.

On the terrorist attacks, he said, "The Chinese Government and people were deeply shocked and express their deep sympathy and condolences to the victims of these attacks," he said.

The Chinese ambassador, while voicing his government's condemnation of and opposition to all forms of terrorist activities, said, "The Chinese Government supports strengthened efforts by the international community to combat terrorism, including the endeavor to completely eliminate the root cause of terrorism, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and other universally recognized principles of international law," he said.

"We stand ready to cooperate with other countries in the fight against terrorism," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency 10/10/2001)