China ratifies nuclear-weapon-free Central Asia protocol

China has ratified a protocol to the Treaty on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) in Central Asia and will soon hand the ratification paper to Kyrgyzstan through diplomatic channels, a spokesman said.

"China's top legislature ratified the protocol in April and President Xi Jinping signed the ratification paper recently," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Wednesday at a daily news briefing.

The treaty which came into force in 2009, commits its signatories -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- to refrain from developing, acquiring or possessing nuclear weapons.

In May, 2014, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States signed a protocol with the five countries at UN headquarters pledging not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices against any party to the treaty.

The Chinese government has always respected and supported efforts by non-nuclear-weapon states to build a nuclear-weapon-free zone through voluntary consultation, he said.

He said China will neither use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states nor in nuclear-weapon-free zones.

The ratification shows China's consistent policy on nuclear-weapon-free zones and is important backing for international non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament, Lu said.

China is willing to work with all parties to completely prohibit and destroy nuclear weapons, the spokesman added. Endi