The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and their Destruction (hereinafter referred to as "the Convention" was open for signature in April 1972 and entered into force in March 1975. As of July 2024, there are 188 States Parties to the Convention. China acceded to the Convention on 15 November 1984. The Convention has played an irreplaceable role in prohibiting and destroying biological weapons and preventing their proliferation.

China has consistently stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons. It attaches great importance to the positive role of the the Convention in maintaining world peace and security and supports its purposes and objectives.

(1) National Implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention

China has always implemented all its obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention in an earnest manner. China has enacted and strictly enforced the relevant laws and regulations to ensure the effective implementation of the Convention. In December 2001, the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress enacted Amendment No.3 to The Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, which stipulates that any illegal manufacture, trade, transportation, storage or release of toxic substances or infectious disease pathogens constitutes a crime against public security and shall be penalized. On 15 April 2021, the Law on Biosafety and Biosecurity of the People’s Republic of China came into force, further defined China’s obligations under the international treaties it has concluded or acceded to, and fully reflected China’s political commitment to the Biological Weapons Convention. The law not only prohibits the development, manufacture or acquisition, storage, possession and use of biological weapons to prevent bioterrorism, but also promotes international cooperation in the field of biosafety and biosecurity .

China continuously strengthens its national implementation system. China has established an inter-agency coordination mechanism that includes the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Science and Technology, Public Security, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Commerce, the National Health Commission, General Administration of Customs and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Each agency has its clear responsibility and works cooperatively with each other within the mechanism to ensure the implementation of related laws and regulations. According to the requirements of the Sixth Review Conference of the Convention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was designated as the national contact point for implementation of the Convention.

China firmly opposes the proliferation of biological weapons and and their means of delivery and technologies in any form. It has continuously strengthening its regulations over the export of dual-use biological products and technologies. In December 2002, China promulgated and implemented Regulations on Export Control of Dual-Use Biological Agents and Related Equipment and Technologies and an export control list. In July 2006, the export control list has been revised and supplemented. In October 2020, China further promulgated and implemented the Export Control Law, containing clear provisions on the export control system, control measures and international cooperation. In December 2024, the Regulations on Export Control of Dual-use Items of the People’s Republic of China and the Export Control List of Dual-use Items came into effect. The Chinese Government and relevant departments attach great importance to biosafety and biosecurity and strictly implement its obligations in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

A national system for surveillance and control of epidemics has been established in China, which has raised China’s public health management level and strengthened its capability on prevention and control of the outbreak of diseases. China also pays attention to awareness raising on biosafety and biosecurity and professional ethics for personnel engaged in research and teaching on biological science and technology.

China has been submitting Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) reports every year since 1989. The CBM reports mainly include outbreaks of infectious diseases, highest biosafety level laboratories, national legislation ,biological defence  research  and  development programmes, biological research publications, vaccine production facilities, etc.

China is committed to promoting international cooperation in the field of biology and actively offers China’s proposals. Under the framework of the Convention, China and Pakistan have put forward a proposal to establish a non-proliferation export control and international Cooperation mechanism in 2016, and submitted several working papers. Under the framework of the United Nations General Assembly, China proposed the resolution “Promoting International Cooperation on Peaceful Uses in the Context of International Security”. 

China is committed to providing biosafety and biosecurity related public products to the international community. From 23 to 25 October 2024, the first Regional Workshop on Implementing the Biological Weapons Convention and Promoting Biosafety and Biosecurity in Southeast Asia was held in Shenzhen. The Workshop was co-hosted by the People’s Republic of China and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the current chairmanship of ASEAN,supported by the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs, and organized by the Sun Yat-sen University. Government officials and experts from China and 11 Southeast Asian countries as well as representatives from international organizations attended the workshop. Participants shared national approaches adopted and best practices for implementing the BWC and for strengthening biosafety/security, exchanged views on improving global biosafety/security governance, and explored potential areas and approaches of regional and international cooperation. China and the Lao PDR issued a Co-chairs summary of the workshop during the closing session.

China supports the establishment of an international cooperation and assistance database in accordance with Article X, and has taken the initiative to include the International Workshop on Biosafety Laboratory Management and Techniques for Developing Countries, as an international cooperation project of the Article X database. From 2017 to 2024, the Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has organized 8 workshops.

(2) Active participation in the multilateral process of strengthening the effectiveness of the Biological Weapons Convention

China always supports the multilateral process aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the Convention. China actively participated in the negotiations on the draft protocol to the Convention and regretted that the negotiations failed to conclude successfully.

The Eighth Review Conference of the Convention was held from November 7 to 25, 2016. A final document was adopted, and it was decided to hold a one-week meeting of States Parties each year for the next four years, and the mandate of the Implementation Support Unit(ISU) was extended accordingly. At the Eighth Review Conference, China took an active and in-depth part in the conference, and put forward two initiatives, inter alia, the formulation of a code of conduct for scientists and the establishment of a non-proliferation export control and international cooperation regime in the biological field.

In 2017, the Meeting of States Parties adopted the work plan for 2018-2020 and decided to discuss issues such as international cooperation, scientific and technological development, national implementation, and strengthening the Convention mechanism.

In June 2018, the international seminar "Building a Global Community of Shared Future for Biosecurity: Development of a Code of Conduct for Biological Scientists" jointly organized by the Chinese Government and the ISU was held in Tianjin. Participants focused on the draft Code of Conduct for Bioscientists, discussed the impact of the development of biotechnology such as synthetic biology and gene editing technology on biosafety and biosecurity, and constantly promoted the formulation of the Code of Conduct.

In July 2019, during the Meeting of Experts, China held a side event on strengthening the capacity building of laboratories biosafety and promoting the cooperation and exchange of biotechnology to promote the inter-sessional process and share the best practice of Chinese scientists.

During the Meeting of States Parties in December 2019, working priorities and direction of the future development of the Convention have been discussed. In absence of consensus,the final report was not adopted. During the meeting, China expressed views on the global biosafety and biosecurity situation, and introduced China's latest practice in this field.

From 2021 to 2022, the Chinese delegation actively participated in the Meeting of Experts, Meeting of States Parties, and preparatory meetings for the Ninth Review Conference and put forward China’s proposals.

On 7 October 2021, China and Russia issued a joint statement by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention. This is the first time that China and Russia issued a joint statement on this issue, which not only reflects the high level of comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Russia in the new era, but also demonstrates the firm determination and responsible attitude of the two countries in safeguarding global biosafety and biosecurity and defending multilateralism.

On 29 July 2022, during the meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) , the foreign ministers of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan issued the Joint Statement on Strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention. The statement fully embodies the firm determination and responsible attitude of all parties to practice true multilateralism and strengthen global biosafety and biosecurity governance.

The Ninth Review Conference of the Convention was held from 28 November to 16 December 2022. The Review Conference made a comprehensive review of the global biosafety and biosecurity situation and the implementation of the Convention. The Review Conference successfully adopted an outcome document, decided to establish a Working Group to identify, examine and develop measures, including possible legally-binding measures,to strengthen the Convention and to promote its implementation in all its aspects. The Review Conference and its outcomes mark important progress in global biosafety and biosecurity governance, which is in the shared interest of the international community. China has fully participated in the Review Conference and made every effort to promote the adoption of the final document. China's proposal of establishing a verification mechanism to ensure compliance, advocating responsible scientific research, and promoting the peaceful uses and universal sharing of biotechnology reflected the common will of the majority of States Parties, especially developing countries.

From 2023 to 2024, the Working Group Meetings on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention and the Meeting of States Parties focused on key issues such as international cooperation, scientific and technological review, verification and compliance. China submitted a working paper about verification mechanism, stipulating that the establishment of a verification mechanism is the most effective way to ensure compliance and build mutual trust, and stressed that the Working Group should, carry out substantive discussions with a focus on various aspects related to the establishment of a verification mechanism, so as to command the consensus and consolidate the foundation for restarting multilateral negotiations.  

China has always advocated responsible biological research. In July 2021, Chinese scientists, together with their international counterparts, agreed on the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists (hereinafter referred to as "Tianjin Guidelines"), which was thereafter endorsed by the InterAcademy Partnership. The Tianjin Guidelines cover major aspects of responsible biological research and represent 10 guiding principles and standards of conduct, such as Ethical Standards, Laws and Norms, Responsible Conduct of Research, Respect for Research Participants, Research Process Management, Education and Training,Research Finding Dissemination, Public Engagement on Science and Technology, Role of Institutions, and International Cooperation. The Tianjin Guidelines covers the whole process of biological research, and plays an important role in promoting the development of biological technology and preventing its misuse.

The Tianjin Guidelines embodies the consensus of international scientific community and is the latest achievement made by the international community in strengthening the Convention and in promoting responsible biological research. China distributed the Tianjin Guidelines as a document of the General Assembly under the agenda of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and General and complete disarmament etc. The Tianjin Guidelines has been incorporated into Global guidance framework for the responsible use of the life sciences issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) . All parties highly appreciated China's important role in promoting global biosafety governance and improving relevant international rules.