Mr. President,
It is a great pleasure to join all of you on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Arms Trade Treaty’s entry into force, and to look forward to the prospect of the Treaty. I would like to express our delegation’s sincere appreciation to you, your team and the Secretariat for the thoughtful arrangements. We are prepared to have in-depth discussions with all parties to build consensus and contribute to the Conference’s overall success.
As the sole international treaty providing legally binding standards to regulate the international trade in conventional arms under the UN framework, the Arms Trade Treaty plays a unique and valuable role in preserving world peace and stability and fostering global security governance. China engaged in the negotiations of the Treaty from the beginning and contributed constructively to its conclusion. China joined the Treaty in 2020 and has worked with all parties to promote its universalization and effectiveness since then. This fully demonstrates China’s sincerity and commitment to defend the global governance system, support multilateralism and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Mr. President,
In light of the major changes in the global landscape and the shared aspiration for collective action among nations, China reaffirms its commitment to a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. We are actively implementing the Global Security Initiative and deeply engaging in relevant multilateral arms control processes, providing Chinese solutions to global security challenges and contributing to the regulation of the international arms trade.
Reviewing the evolution of the Treaty, it is clear that China has always been a firm supporter of the Arms Trade Treaty. China is firmly committed to the object and purpose of the Treaty, and believes that the international community should take necessary actions to regulate the international arms trade and combat illicit arms transfers. China has attended all previous Conferences of State Parties, fulfilled its financial obligations in a timely manner, submitted the initial report and annual reports, and engaged in the activities and mechanism construction within the ATT, with the objective of upholding the authority and effectiveness of the Treaty.
China has always been a devoted practitioner of the Arms Trade Treaty. China handles export of military items in a prudent and responsible manner. China established a sound national export control policy and legal system, which comprises the Export Control Law, the Regulation on Administration of Military Products Exports and its annexed Military Exports Control List. China has established and strictly follows three guiding principles to ensure that its arms exports are conducted responsibly. These principles are as follows: firstly, be conducive to legitimate self-defense capability of the recipient country; secondly, do not undermine the peace, security and stability of the region concerned and the world as a whole; thirdly, do not interfere in the internal affairs of the recipient country.
China has always been an active contributor to the global arms trade governance. China has not only fulfilled its obligations under the Treaty, but has done more than that. In particular, China only conducts arms trade with sovereign states, and never exports arms to non-state actors. China is actively implementing the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (POA), as well as the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons. China has ratified the Firearms Protocol, and listed “cooperation on small arms and light weapon control” and “support the implementation of the initiative of Silencing the Guns in Africa” as areas of priority to implement the Global Security Initiative. This will further strengthen the global arms trade governance from a broader perspective.
Mr. President,
The world is still far from being peaceful. We are witnessing an increase in geopolitical conflicts, the drag-on of regional conflicts, the resurgence of unilateralism and Cold-War mentality, and the intermingling of traditional and emerging security challenges. The international arms control process has stagnated or even reversed. The scale of global arms trade is constantly expanding, increasing the risk of spillovers. There is urgent need for us to work together to promote regulation in this regard. Against this backdrop, some countries pursue their own interests at the expense of global common security, engage in irresponsible arms exports, use the arms trade as a tool to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and even withdraw from international agreements, which obviously runs contrary to the object and purpose of the Treaty.
I would like to take this occasion to recall the original aspiration of the Treaty, which is to establish the highest possible common international standards for regulating or improving the regulation of the international trade in conventional arms, contribute to international and regional peace, security and stability, and reduction of human suffering. As we are preparing for the next decade of the Treaty, China proposes the following:
—Upholding multilateralism and fostering common security. In light of the view that humanity is an indivisible security community, we should strive to respect and safeguard the national security of all countries. We should strive to resolve crises and disputes through dialogues and consultations, address risks and challenges by solidarity and cooperation, and create conditions for fundamentally combating the abuse of weapons. In this regard, big countries should set good examples. China welcomes the two new State Parties, namely Gambia and Malawi, and encourages countries that have not yet ratified the Treaty to do so as soon as possible.
—Implementing the objectives of the Treaty and fulfilling national commitments. We should conduct arms trade responsibly, improve relevant policies and regulations, enhance national capabilities to manage and control the arms trade, and consider positively not to export arms to non-state actors. All State Parties should faithfully, fully and effectively carry out their obligations under the Treaty. The fanning of flames in conflict regions, as well as the politicization or instrumentalization of the arms trade or the Treaty itself must be rejected.
—Strengthening exchanges and cooperation and improving global governance. To increase synergy in this area, we should fully leverage the UN’s central role in conventional arms control, and foster collaboration and coordination between the Treaty and other relevant UN mechanisms. We should use the mechanisms and resources available under the Treaty to assist more countries, particularly developing countries, in enhancing their national capabilities to ratify or implement the Treaty, through exchange of information, experience as well as technical assistance, on the basis of respecting relevant State Parties.
Mr. President,
The best way to honor history is to continue writing new history. China is willing to take the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty as a new starting point, to collaborate with the international community to continuously strengthen the authority and vitality of the Treaty, provide more stability and certainty in a turbulent world, and make new contributions to achieving global common security and lasting peace.
Thank you, Mr. President.