Mr. Chair,

On behalf of the Chinese delegation, I would like to congratulate you on your election as the Chair of the third session of the preparatory committee and assure you of China's full support to your work.

Mr. Chair,

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The founding mission of UN is to maintain a just international order and safeguard the sovereignty and equality of all nations, and achieve common and collective security. As great transformation unseen in a century is evolving, humanity has once again found itself at a critical crossroads facing a crucial choice.The United States believes might makes right, pursues supremacy, wields the tariff and sanctions stick, exerts maximum pressure, pushes bullying, severely undermining foundamental international norms and the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law. In the face of rising unilateralism, bullying and power politics, the international community should unite together and firmly resist against acts that run counter to the trend of history, prevent humanity from returning to the jungle world where the strong prey on the weak. Justice prevails in the hearts of the people and righteousness will ultimately triumph over evil.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and its authority is undergoing unseen challenges. Some nations stick to Cold-War mentality, form small groups and exclusive circles, seek absolute military superiority, spend huge amount of money in upgrading the nuclear triad, strengthen nuclear alliances, forward deploy global missile defense system and intermediate range missiles near the borders of other nuclear-weapon States. These negative trends undermine mutual trust and cooperation among major countries, raise the risks of nuclear arms races and nuclear conflicts, deteriorate the international strategic security environment, and undermine global strategic balance and stability.

China supports giving full play to the role of the NPT in serving peace and development in the new era, upholds the authority, effectiveness and universality of the NPT. China advocates a nuclear disarmament path in which one's own  security and common security are indivisible and maintaining global strategic stability, upholds the inseparability of security rights and security obligation and establishing a fair and just nuclear non-proliferation regime, upholds the inseparability of security and development and safeguarding the right of all States Parties to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

First, stay committed to rational and pragmatic approach towards upholding the nuclear disarmament consensus. Nuclear disarmament should follow the principles of "maintaining global strategic stability" and "undiminished security for all", and be pushed forward in a step by step way. The two countries with the largest nuclear arsenals must fulfill their special and primary responsibilities for nuclear disarmament, resume implementation of the New START Treaty and discuss follow-up arrangements, and further significantly and substantially reduce their nuclear arsenals in a verifiable, irreversible and legally binding manner, so as to create the conditions for other nuclear-weapon States to join the nuclear disarmament process. Any nuclear arms control initiative that is divorced from the reality of international security is difficult to succeed.

Secondly, uphold common security, concretely reduce strategic risks. We urge some certain countries to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national and collective security policies, abolish nuclear sharing and extended deterrence arrangements, withdraw nuclear weapons deployed abroad back to its own territories, cease the development and deployment of the global missile defense system and cease the forward deployment of the land-based intermediate-range missiles near other countries. China is seriously concerned about certain country openly defining space as a war-fighting domain and seeking to deploy weapon systems in space that undermine strategic stability. On the basis of the Joint Statement of Leaders of the Five nuclear-weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Nuclear Arms Races issued in 2022, nuclear-weapon States should abandon the nuclear doctrines based on the first use of nuclear weapons, reaffirm not to target nuclear weapon against each other or any other country, not formulate nuclear deterrence policy against other countries, support the Conference on Disarmament in negotiating an international legal instrument on providing negative security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon States.

Thirdly, reject double standards and strengthen the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. China insists on the settlement of regional nuclear issues through political and diplomatic means and opposes wanton use of force or abuse of illegal unilateral sanctions, opposes undermining international laws and arrangement in the nuclear non-proliferation domain, and opposes putting geopolitical interest above nuclear non-proliferation. The nuclear-powered submarine cooperation among the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia involves the transfer of weapon-grade highly enriched uranium (HEU) from nuclear-weapon States to a non-nuclear-weapon State for the first time and constitutes severe risks of nuclear proliferation.The international community should promote the intergovernmental discussion process under NPT and IAEA framework.

Fourthly, remain faithful to NPT's initial mission, contribute to peace and development. The rights of peaceful uses of nuclear energy of non-nuclear-weapon States should be effectively protected. As a major country in nuclear science and technology, China supports the “Atoms for Global South Initiative" and supports the central role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We resolutely oppose any misuse of unilateral export restrictions that impedes nuclear energy global collaborative efforts. Nuclear technology should serve as wealth for shared and win-win benefits rather than a tool to weave an iron curtain. Decoupling will ultimately lead to self-isolation. China opposes armed attacks against peaceful nuclear facilities, supports the IAEA in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities.

Mr. Chair,

China is firmly committed to a defensive national defense policy. Peace and harmony are the belief of Chinese civilization over the past 5000 years. The peaceful nature of Chinese civilization has determined that China will always work as a builder of global peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order. China's resolve to take the path of peaceful development will never change. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence has been written into China's  Constitution and become the cornerstone of China's independence and peaceful diplomacy.

Since the very first day China possessed nuclear weapons, it has pledged not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. China is the only one among the five-nuclear-weapon States to have made such commitments. China is a responsible country that honors its commitment, and this policy has remained unchanged for over 60 years, withstanding the test of history. China has always kept its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security, and has never engaged in, nor will it ever engage in, any arms race with any other country. China's nuclear forces and nuclear policies are important contributions to world peace.

To conclude, I wish this preparatory committee build further consensus, and lay a good foundation for achieving positive results at the review conference next year.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.