(October 28, 2005, New York)

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation voted in favor of the draft resolution "The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC)" (L.22). I would like to take this opportunity to explain China's position on this question.

China agrees with the non-proliferation objective of the HCOC, and participated in the discussions about the draft Code. Since some of China's concerns had not been solved during that discussion, China didn't join the HCOC. However, China will continue the exchanges of views with all sides, including the HCOC participants, aimed at preventing the proliferation of ballistic missiles through joint efforts.

China all along supports non-proliferation, and advocates for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and strengthening relevant international non-proliferation efforts through widely participated dialogues and cooperation. In this process, the United Nations should play a full role.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.