Distinguished Mr. TONDRUB WANGBUM, Assistant Governor of Yunnan Province,

Distinguished Mr. Liu Jieyi, Director General of the Department of Arms Control and Disarmament of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China,

Distinguished Representatives,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, please allow me, on behalf of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, extend our heartfelt welcome to the experts on humanitarian mine clearance who have come from various places in the world to this beautiful Spring City of Kunming.

Today, the Arms Control Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA) and the Australian Network of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) co-sponsor the Humanitarian Mine/UXO Clearance Technology and Cooperation Workshop. This fully demonstrates that the Chinese Government and people attach great importance to the issue of international humanitarian mine clearance. The workshop itself will be part of the joint efforts of the international community to push forward the humanitarian de-mining campaign. This meeting is one of much importance.

As a kind of defensive weapon, landmines have been occasionally misused for a long time, posing threats to civilians' lives and property, thus arousing humanitarian concerns and becoming a hot issue in the field of arms control and disarmament. We hold that in addition to banning and limiting the use of landmines and preventing the emergence of new mine threats, the more urgent task facing us at present is to clear the existing landmines and UXOs. In this respect, the Chinese experts have accumulated much experience in their domestic mine-clearance operations and in training and instructing the local de-mining personnel in Eritrea. They have also established a complete set of mine-clearance methods applicable to different geophysical environments. Today, we have invited those experts to attend the workshop to share their experience with others, so that we can learn from each other and jointly explore more effective means and ways to carry out international mine- clearance cooperation. CACDA would like to provide a platform for such exchanges, so that all the experts could keep contact and cooperation after the conclusion of this workshop.

China Arms Control and Disarmament Association is an important nation-wide non-governmental organization in China. Its purpose is 'to organize and coordinate nation-wide academic studies and non-governmental exchanges in the field of arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation, so as to promote the international arms control and disarmament process and to maintain world peace.' We would like to work together with other governmental and non-governmental organizations, to play a significant role in the field of international humanitarian mine-clearance cooperation, and to contribute to the well-being and tranquility of mankind.

The Spring City of Kunming in April is full of bright sunshine, fragrant flowers and singing birds. I am convinced that with the concerted efforts by all participants, this workshop will certainly be a success, so as to usher in a new stage of international mine clearance cooperation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.