Mr. President,

At the outset, please allow me, on behalf of the Chinese delegation, to congratulate you on your election of the Presidency of this meeting. I firmly believe that with your outstanding capabilities and experience, you will surely guide this meeting to a success.

Mr. President,

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Ottawa Convention. Over 10 years, the Convention has made important contributions to mitigating the humanitarian concerns caused by anti-personnel landmines (APLs).

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the humanitarian concerns caused by APLs and supports efforts made by the international community to address these concerns. China appreciates the humanitarianism enshrined in the Ottawa Convention and endorses its purposes and objectives. Although China is not a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, it has voted in favor of the resolutions entitled "Implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction" at the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in recent years, which fully demonstrates our recognition for and high attention to the important role of the Ottawa Convention.

China has made unremitting efforts in resolving the humanitarian problems caused by APLs. As a State Party to the Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), China has strictly implemented obligations of the Protocol. China conducted technical modification to or destroyed stockpiled APLs which failed to meet the requirements of the Protocol. China has also made progress in developing alternative weapons to APLs.

China has exercised maximum restraint in exporting APLs. In fact, China ceased exporting APLs long time ago.

Mr. President,

After large-scale de-mining operations in border areas in 1990s, China has almost eliminated landmine threat within its territory, which paves the way for social and economic development in former mine-affected areas. In de-mining operations, the Chinese de-mining troops accumulated experience and developed a number of reliable, user-friendly, cost-effective de-mining equipments. China's de-mining technology has also been improved.

After solving domestic landmine problems, China has actively engaged in international mine actions. Since 1998, China has provided de-mining assistance to more than ten countries in Asia and Africa by means of providing financial donations, hosting training courses, donating de-mining equipments and dispatching peace-keeping engineering troops or de-mining expert groups. China's de-mining assistance has been highly appreciated by recipient countries. In 2006, China hosted a three-month humanitarian de-mining training program for forty trainees from Jordan and Lebanon, and donated some mine-detection and de-mining equipments to these two countries.

With a view to supporting humanitarian de-mining process in African countries, according to the Beijing Action Plan adopted at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China has launched a new round of de-mining assistance to African countries. Currently, China is hosting a humanitarian de-mining training course in Nanjing for five African countries, namely Angola, Burundi, Chad, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. China will also donate some de-mining equipments to these five countries.

Mr. President,

China has all along unswervingly contributed to maintaining peace and promoting common development of the world. China used to suffer from landmines, therefore deeply understands the aspirations of the people of mine-affected countries for safety and development. China is willing to make contributions to releasing these countries from landmine problems. China sincerely hopes to further enhance exchanges and cooperation with the States Parties to the Ottawa Convention, relevant international organizations and civil society, so as to promote international mine actions with the aim of completely resolving the humanitarian problems caused by APLs.

I wish this meeting a great success.

Thank you, Mr. President.