China needs peaceful, stable int'l environment: senior official

A senior Chinese official said here Monday that "China needs a peaceful and stable international environment" as the Chinese people are making concerted efforts to build a moderately prosperous country, comprehensively deepen reform and advance law-based governance and enforce strict Party conduct.

Li Baodong, the Chinese vice foreign minister who is the head of the Chinese delegation, made the statement as he was speaking at the general debate of the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a month-long event which opened here earlier Monday.

"Now the Chinese people are working in unison under the strategic plans to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all resects, and to comprehensively deepen reform, advance law-based governance, and to enforce strict Party conduct," he said. "Our objective is to realize the 'two century' goals for China's development and to realize the Chinese dream of great national rejuvenation."

"To this end, China needs a peaceful and stable international environment," he said.

Since the beginning of last year, the overall security concept, the approach to nuclear security and other important visions put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping have guided China's efforts in participating in international security affairs and advancing global nuclear governance, he said.

"China, as a staunch champion for nuclear disarmament process, stands for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons and has faithfully fulfilled its nuclear disarmament," he said.

"Over the decades, China has pursued a nuclear strategy of self- defence and kept its nuclear arsenal at the minimum level required for its national security," he said. "China has neither deployed nuclear weapons in any other country nor taken part in any form of nuclear arms races."

"Among nuclear-weapon states, only China has pledged unconditionally not to be the first to use nuclear weapons and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states," the vice minister said.

"China firmly upholds nuclear non-proliferation regime," he said. "We oppose the proliferation of nuclear weapons in any form and work for the diplomatic resolution of regional hot-spot nuclear issues."

China has been deeply involved in the negotiation process of the Iranian nuclear issue, actively offering its visions and contributing positive energy, he said. "We stay committed to realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and upholding peace and stability in both the Peninsula and Northeast Asia."

China fully supports the international efforts to establish nuclear-weapon-free-zones," he said.

"China actively promotes the peaceful use of energy," Li said. "While fully respecting and firmly upholding the legitimate rights of all countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, China has taken an active part in and promoted relevant international cooperation."

Conferences to review the operation of the treaty have been held at five-year intervals since the treaty went into effect in 1970. Each conference has sought to find agreement on a final declaration that would assess the implementation of the treaty's provisions and make recommendations on measures to further strengthen it.

Over the past five years, he said, "what we have achieved is remarkable. Looking forward, we have full confidence in future, and are also keenly aware of the long way ahead." Endite