(18th November 2025,Guangzhou)

Distinguished Undersecretary Tan Lilung of MFA Malaysia,
Your Excellency Ambassador Meyer, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the Conference on Disarmament, Chairperson of the Working Group on Strengthening the BWC，
Mr. Daniel Feakes, Mr. Junyoung Yoo, colleagues of United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs,
Mr. Yang Donghua, vice president of Sun Yat-sen University，
Colleagues and friends,

On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the participants representing countries in the Southeast Asian Region and the International organizations and convey my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, Sun Yat-sen University and the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality for their support to the Workshop.

Last October, we gathered at Shenzhen for the first time and sent a message to the international society of jointly meeting challenges and promoting regional biosecurity. Today, we meet again, at the juncture of the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Biological Weapons Convention and the centenary of the conclusion of 1925 Geneva Protocol, to act upon our consensus to jointly strengthen biosecurity cooperation and fulfill our shared commitment to common security and development.

Over the past year, we have witnessed rapid innovation in biotechonolgy, the swift development of bio-industry and the convergence of emerging technologies such as AI with biotech. These advancements bring benefits to the people, while also giving rise to new security risks. Countries attached even greater importance to the strategic significance of biotechnology and biosecurity, accelerate the pace of establishing frameworks, building capacity and engaging in international cooperation on biosecurity. The universality of the Biological Weapons Convention was further enhanced, with States Parties engaging in increasingly deepened discussions on strengthening the Convention in all its aspects. The Pandemic Agreement of the World Health Organization was reached, filling critical gaps.

On the other hand, the world is fraught with turmoil and instability, with regional conflicts flaring up one after another. The dregs of unilateralism are stirring up again, with willful acts that seek to abandon international organizations and agreements, decoupling and severing supply chains, while containing and suppressing other countries. Global biosecurity governance is characterized by fragmentation, heightening the urgency of enhanced coordination among international institutions and organizations. There is a lack of institutional arrangements for areas such as biological weapons verification and counter-bioterrorism, and the development of norms to keep pace with technological advances has been significantly lagging behind.

Recently, President XI Jinping solemnly put forth the Global Governance Initiative, calling upon all countries to make the global governance system more just and equitable and bring all together toward a community with a shared future for humanity. The initiative is underpinned by the principles of sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and taking real actions, thus furnishing Chinese wisdom to tackle global governance deficits, including those in biosecurity.

China stands ready to take the Global Security Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative as the guide, and further work with the international community, including Southeast Asian countries, to address biological security challenges. In this context, China wishes to propose the following:

First, deepening mutual beneficial cooperation and maintaining common security. We should uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and advance the modernization of regional countries’ biological security governance systems and capacities through exchanges and mutual learning. We must stand for cooperation, not outcompeting; for solidarity, not division. It is essential that we make joint efforts to eliminate threats of biological weapons and respond to biological security risks and challenges.

Second, advocating the people-centered approach and promoting peaceful uses. Sustainable development has always been the strongest aspirations shared by the people of all countries, and it is also the ultimate goal of technological advances. We shall consolidate security in the course of development and pursue development in a secure environment and implement the UNGA resolution “Promoting International Cooperation on Peaceful Uses in the Context of International Security”. While preventing security risks, the right to peaceful uses of biotechnology of all countries must be safeguarded, ensuring technology for good and equitable benefits, and bringing more opportunities to the betterment of humanity.

Third, improving global governance and building a more just and equitable system. Global biosafety/security governance requires the participation of all countries, commanding broad consensus by practicing multilateralism, and ensuring fairness and justice through international rule of law. We must adhere to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and ensure equal participation of all countries, especially by fully listening to the voices and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South in the process of negotiating new documents, formulating new rules, and establishing new mechanisms in the field of biology. We must abide by the international rule of law and never apply double standards or abuse of sanctions for self-interest. International rules should not be applied selectively according to one’s own interests.

Forth, upholding the standing of the United Nations and consolidating the authority of the Biological Weapons Convention. The Convention is the cornerstone of global biosafety governance, establishing international legal obligations such as eliminating the threat of biological weapons, preventing biosafety/security risks, and promoting international cooperation in biotechnology. China calls on all countries to earnestly fulfill their obligations under the Convention, promote the conclusion of a legally binding protocol that includes an effective verification mechanism, thereby comprehensively strengthening the effectiveness of the Convention. We look forward to the positive outcomes of the Working Group on Strengthening the Convention.

Colleagues,

China attaches great importance to biosafety and biosecurity and continuously advances the modernization of governance system and capacities in this field, earnestly fulfills its international obligations, actively builds multilateral and bilateral cooperation platforms, contributes Chinese wisdom and solutions, and deeply participates in global governance of biosafety/security.

The just-concluded Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed recommendations for China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which charts a blueprint for China's development in the next five years, and creates opportunities for the common development of all countries in the world, including the ASEAN. The plan proposes that China will modernizing its national security system and capacity, and bolster capacity building on national security in emerging domains including biology, which demonstrates China's determination to build a Peaceful China. China will also continuously advance toward a community with a shared future for humanity, including working with neighboring countries to advance integrated development, strengthen common security, consolidate strategic mutual trust.

Linked by mountains and rivers, China and ASEAN countries share a common destiny. China takes ASEAN as a high priority in its neighborhood diplomacy. China will always be ASEAN’s good friend based on mutual trust and good partner for shared development, and work with ASEAN to jointly deliver on the Plan of Action to Implement the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030). We are ready to enhance cooperation in policy making, risk evaluation, emergency response, information sharing and capacity building in the field of biosafety/security, and maintain close coordination at platforms such as the BWC and the UN, in the common pursuit of strengthening regional biosafety/security, and improving global governance.

For the next three days, Chinese representatives from the government agencies such as foreign affairs, health, agriculture, disease control and prevention, science and technology, customs and defense, research institutes, universities and academies will participate in the discussions. We look forward to deepening exchanges and mutual learning with all parties, promoting practical cooperation, and contributing to building a joint defense line of biosafety/security through this workshop.

Colleagues,

Let us promote partnership with our neighbours, come together to meet challenges, respond to the expectations of people in the region for health, security and tranquility,  and jointly write a new chapter of the China-ASEAN Community with a Shared Future.

In closing, wish this workshop a complete success!