( New York, October 18th, 2011 )

Mr. Chairman,

Over the past year, as an important international legal framework in the field of arms control dealing with humanitarian issues, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) has continuously increased its vitality. The implementation of the Convention and its five Protocols has achieved stable progress, and the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on cluster munitions has carried out four years hard work. The facts proved that the Convention has played an indispensable role in addressing the humanitarian concerns caused by certain conventional weapons.

The Chinese Government firmly supports and actively participates in the international conventional arms control process, attaches importance to and supports the work of CCW, and is dedicated to addressing the humanitarian concerns caused by certain conventional weapons.

Mr. Chairman,

As the High Contracting Party to the Convention and its five protocols, China has fulfilled and will continuously and earnestly fulfill its obligations under CCW and its protocols and dedicate itself to enhancing the effectiveness and universality of the Convention.

Since 1998, the Chinese Government has provided humanitarian assistance to nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America by providing financial donations, demining equipment, personnel training and other means. It is noted with satisfaction that, such assistance has played a positive role in promoting efforts on clearance of landmines and other ERWs in those recipient countries. This year, China offered demining assistance to Sri Lanka, Sudan and South Sudan and provided cluster munitions and mine victim assistance to Laos and Congo (DRC) respectively.

China attaches great importance to the humanitarian concerns caused by cluster munitions and supports the GGE to negotiate a protocol that would address this issue, while striking a balance between the legitimate defense needs and humanitarian consideration. China commends the work of the GGE and appreciates the efforts by Philippine Chairmanship in pushing forward the negotiation, and supports the GGE to continue its negotiation on the basis of the latest Chair’s text to reach an agreement at the Fourth Review Conference of CCW in the coming November.

Mr. Chairman,

China is fully aware that the illicit trade of small arms and light weapon (SALW) causes regional instability, fuels humanitarian crisis. China has always attached great importance to combating the illicit trade of SALW, and has supported and actively participated in the relevant international efforts. China believes that the comprehensive and effective implementation of existing international instruments such as the UN Programme of Action (PoA) on SALW and the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (ITI) is of vital importance to promoting the work of combating the illicit trade of SALW.

China always believes that poverty and social unrest is one of the primary reasons that illicit trade of SALW propagates. We maintain that a comprehensive approach should be taken to address both the symptoms and underlying causes of the illicit trade of SALW. And the international community should take effective measures to help countries concerned to achieve economic development, eliminate starvation, poverty and social injustice, and maintain peace, development and social stability. China hopes that all parties concerned could bear this in mind, make good preparations for next year’s POA Review Conference with a view to resolving the root causes of illicit trade of SALW.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese Government has always taken a prudent and responsible attitude towards arms export and has been exercising strict and effective controls over arms exports in accordance with its international obligations and national laws and regulations. China is concerned about regional instability and humanitarian crisis fuelled by illicit trafficking of SALW. We support the international community to take necessary measures to regulate international arms trade and combat illicit transfer and trafficking of arms.

China actively participated and played a constructive role in the work of the Preparatory Committee on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). China believes that the primary goal of an ATT is to safeguard global and regional stability, ensuring a state’s legitimate right to self-defense and its own security needs. An ATT should be internationally recognized, objective and non-discriminatory, and avoid any possible abusive use of the treaty for political purposes to interfere with the legitimate arms trade and internal affairs of any country. Relevant ATT process should stick to the principle of consensus and be pursued in an open, transparent and incremental manner, to satisfy the reasonable political, security and economic needs of all parties concerned. China will make further efforts within the UN framework with all parties concerned, in a constructive manner, to appropriately address the issues caused by illicit trafficking of conventional weapons.

Mr. Chairman,

China attaches importance to the issue of military transparency and has been committed to enhancing mutual trust in the military field with other countries. China welcomes the final report adopted by the UN GGE on the standardized Instrument for Reporting Military Expenditures. China will continue to submit relevant data to UN standardized Instrument for Reporting Military Expenditures and UN Register of Conventional Arms.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.