Chinese Ambassador on Disarmament Hu Xiaodi urged the Conference on Disarmament Thursday to take effective measures to prevent the weaponization and an arms race in outer space.
Speaking at the plenary of the 2002 Session of the Conference on Disarmament, the Chinese ambassador expounded China's position on preventing an arms race and a fissile material cutoff.
Hu pointed out that the international community is faced with the imminent danger of outer space weaponization, the consequences of which will not only trigger a possible arms race in outer space,but also cause serious damage to the international disarmament process and global strategic balance and stability.
The events of September 11 have proved once again that the security threat against the international community is more diversified and global, with its asymmetrical feature becoming increasingly predominant. States in the world increasingly rely on each other more than ever before with regard to security, said Hu.
"Any country, no matter how powerful it is, has to participate in and strengthen its cooperation with others. This is the only way to meet the various security challenges and to ensure comprehensive and long-lasting peace and security," the Chinese ambassador said.
Hu emphasized that existing outer space legal instruments are far from meeting the new challenges. Only by concluding through negotiations legally-binding international instruments to prohibit the weaponization of outer space and prevent an arms race in outerspace can the interests and assets of all states be safeguarded on an equal footing and valuable resources channeled toward peaceful use.
The Chinese ambassador said that China gives its full support to the proposal put forward by the Russian Federation at the United Nations General Assembly last year on the moratorium on the deployment of weapons in outer space and on the prohibition of the weaponization of outer space.
Hu stressed that China's position on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty has not changed.
"We still favor an early start on related negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament and we intend to participate in the negotiation process once the program of work of the Conference on Disarmament is reached," said the Chinese ambassador.
( March 29, 2002)
