(Geneva, 23 February 2026)
Mr.President,
Nowadays, the law of the jungle and unilateralism are on the rise, which have exacerbated global instability and disorder. Competition among major powers is impacting regional peace and security, the global strategic stability is under severe threat, the process of multilateral arms control has reached a low ebb, and security risks and challenges in emerging fields are becoming more prominent. The drive to promote a fair, just and reasonable international arms control regime and to safeguard world peace and stability is growing stronger.
The Chinese nation has always cherished peace and harmony among nations. In the new era, China has been promoting building a community with a shared future for humanity, put into action the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, and stays committed to improving international security environment, increasing international security cooperation, addressing global security challenges, and strengthening global security governance.
Recently,the Chinese Government released a new white paper titled "China's Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation in the New Era", which comprehensively elaborates China's arms control,disarmament and non-proliferation policies and practice,and the principles of justice, cooperation, balance and effectiveness in arms control,demonstrating China's firm determination to safeguard world peace and security. I would like to take this opportunity to further elaborate China's position and proposals on issues of concern to all member states.
First, nuclear arms control serves as an important safeguard for maintaining global strategic stability. A certain country attempts to seek an absolute strategic advantage, enhances nuclear deterrence and combat capabilities, strengthens military alliance, promotes extended deterrence and forward deployment of land-based intermediate-range missiles, and builds global strategic anti-missile capability. Those activities fundamentally violate the basic logic of strategic balance,seriously impact mutual trust among major powers and global strategic stability, increase strategic risks, and hinder the implementation of nuclear arms control initiatives.
China's arms control in the new era will focus on whether it is conducive to promoting global strategic stability. China has always committed to its policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons,and upheld a nuclear strategy of self-defense. Chin’s modernization of its nuclear forces is to safeguard its national strategic security and global strategic stability.
The nuclear-weapon states have special responsibility for international security and global strategic stability. We urges the concerned country to abandon cold-war mentality and zero-sum game, prevent any measures which may trigger strategic risks, and solve security concerns and enhance mutual trust through consultations based on equal dialogue and mutual respect. We reject the hypocritical approach of inciting confrontation and creating crisis on the one hand while calling for reducing nuclear risks on the other. We also reject the dangerous practices of unfounded hyping of “threat” of other countries as excuses for achieving one's own geopolitical and military objectives.
Second, uphold a fair and reasonable, rational and pragmatic approach to nuclear disarmament. China advocates that all nuclear-weapon states should make a commitment not to seek permanent possession of nuclear weapons, and seek to conclude a legal instrument on the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of such weapons. Nuclear disarmament should be pursued based on the principles of "maintaining global strategic stability" and "undiminished security for all", and promoted in a gradual manner. Countries possessing the largest nuclear arsenals should fulfill their special and primary responsibilities for nuclear disarmament and continue to make drastic and substantive reductions in their nuclear arsenals in a verifiable, irreversible and legally-binding manner, so as to create conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join nuclear disarmament process.
China has always maintained its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security. I would like to reiterate that China has always exercised the utmost restraint regarding the scale and development of its nuclear weapons. China never has and never will engage in any nuclear arms race with any other country in terms of level of expenditure, quantity, or scale of nuclear weapons. China's nuclear arsenal is by no means at the same level with the countries possessing the largest nuclear arsenals. The nuclear policies and strategic environment between China and the US are totally different. It is not fair, reasonable or realistic to ask China to join the so-called trilateral nuclear arms control talks.
I would like to further emphasize that nuclear disarmament is not a mere game of numbers. Reducing the role of nuclear weapons in the national security policy is the practical move to promote nuclear disarmament, which has a practical significance. If the nuclear-weapon states could reach a consensus on mutual no-first-use of nuclear weapons, it would be conducive to reducing strategic risks, preventing nuclear arms race, and promoting global strategic balance and stability. If the US has doubt on the credibility of such commitment, nuclear weapon states can negotiate relevant legally binding instrument. We once again call upon all nuclear-weapon states to conclude a treaty on mutual no-first-use of nuclear weapons or to issue a political statement to that effect. Meanwhile, all nuclear-weapon states should undertake not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones under any circumstance. China advocates early negotiations on and the conclusion of an international legal instrument in this regard.
China firmly opposes constant smear of China' nuclear policy by a few countries. We categorically reject the unfounded accusation by the US representative during his remarks at the plenary this morning. China firmly supports the purposes and objectives of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and has actively promoted domestic preparatory work for its implementation. China has always honored the P5 commitment to the moratorium on nuclear testing, and never conducted any activities in violation of the CTBT. The US made groundless accusation against China for conducting nuclear tests, using this as an excuse for itself to resume nuclear testing. In order to evade international arms control obligations, the US has been trying to frame and smear other countries, which will impact its own international credibility. The international community has to call into question the real intention of the US's proposal for multilateral nuclear arms control dialogue. We urge the US to reaffirm the P5 commitment to the moratorium on nuclear testing, maintain the global consensus on the prohibition of nuclear tests, refrain from creating excuses for resuming nuclear testing, and take concrete steps to support the early entry into force of the CTBT.
China supports negotiating and concluding a non-discriminatory, multilateral and international verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, on the basis of agreeing a comprehensive and balanced Program of Work of the Conference on Disarmament and the universal participation of all key stakeholders in accordance with the Shannon Report and the mandate contained therein.
Third, abandon double standards and promote the settlement of nuclear non-proliferation issue through political and diplomatic approach. Dialogues and consultations are the right solution to resolve regional nuclear issues. All countries should abandon the cold war mentality, fully respect each other's legitimate security concerns, promote peaceful settlement of the concerns on proliferation of nuclear weapons through political and diplomatic means, and eliminate the root causes of nuclear weapons proliferation.
The Iranian nuclear issues is at a crucial crossroads. The international community expresses its concerns on military confrontations and willingness to peaceful settlement through dialogues. We oppose unilateral bullying and the use of force in the international relations, and call on relevant parties to create favorable conditions for Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to carry out smooth and effective cooperation in the absence of political obstacles, and create favorable atmosphere for the current political and diplomatic efforts. All relevant parties should avoid pushing the Iranian nuclear issues to the track of confrontation,or even trigger new conflicts.
China opposes double standards on nuclear non-proliferation and the practice of favoring geopolitical interests over the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. The nuclear submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia involves the first transfer of navel nuclear propulsion reactors and weapons-grade highly enriched uranium from nuclear-weapons states to non-nuclear-weapon states. This apparently runs counter to the object and purpose of the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The relevant safeguards arrangements should be thoroughly discussed by member states of the IAEA through an intergovernmental process, and decisions should be made by consensus. At the same time, China firmly opposes nuclear sharing, extended deterrence, and other arrangements that undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.
China is highly concerned about the recent remarks by some senior officials of the Japanese government on the possibility of possessing nuclear weapons. In recent years, Japan has been breaching the exclusively defense-oriented principle, strengthening extended deterrence, seeking to replicate nuclear-sharing arrangement, attempting to alter its three non-nuclear principles, which are in violation of its commitment to peace and constitute a blatant provocation to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. What is of greater concern is that the incumbent Japanese Prime Minister openly claimed that a contingency in Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation" for Japan, which could be a trigger for Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense. Since Japan's defeat in 1945, it is the first time that a Japanese leader expressed an ambition to intervene militarily in the Taiwan question, which directly challenges China's sovereignty and the post-war international order, and severely escalates regional tensions. The international community must remain highly vigilant.
Four, coordinate development and security, and prevent and address risks and challenges in the field of emerging technologies. Emerging fields such as AI represent new frontiers for human development, a new focus of strategic security and new territories of global governance. China is committed to preventing security risks and promoting peaceful uses in emerging fields.
The prevention of an arms race in outer space is essential for ensuring peace, stability and sustainability in outer space. Reaching a legally-binding instrument on arms control in outer space through negotiations is the fundamental solution. The Conference on Disarmament should commence the relevant substantive work as soon as possible.
China firmly supports the purposes and objectives of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), supports the strengthening and institutionalization of the Convention in all its aspects, and advocates the conclusion through negotiation of a legally binding protocol with an effective verification mechanism to reinforce the authority, effectiveness and universality of the Convention.
Cyberspace should not be turned into a new theater of geopolitical conflicts. The international community should be committed to safeguarding cyberspace peace and security.
The rapid development and widespread application of AI technology has catalyzed a new wave of military transformation. China upholds a people-centered approach and the principle of AI for good, calls for the establishment of an international governance framework for the military applications of AI, and support to reinforce risk prevention and control in the military domain.
China attaches importance to the security challenges and proliferation risks posed by emerging science and technologies. At the same time, China advocates for maintaining the legitimate right of development countries to peaceful uses of science and technologies, opposes the use of export controls as a tool for decoupling, and stands against the abuse of export controls and unilateral sanctions under the pretext of international security and non-proliferation. China will submit again a draft resolution entitled “Promoting International Cooperation on Peaceful Uses in the Context of International Security" to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. We welcome all parties to continue inclusive dialogues and promote the effective implementation of this resolution.
Five, uphold the rule of law and revitalize multilateral arms control and disarmament regime. The existing arms control treaties constitute an important part of international system. The UNGA First Committee, the Disarmament Commission, the Conference on Disarmament, etc. play an irreplaceable role in safeguarding international security order and promoting global security governance.
The international community should firmly uphold the status and authority of the UN, strengthen the universality and effectiveness of current arms control system, and oppose selective approach and withdrawing from treaties and organizations. The main cause that makes multilateral arms control mechanisms less effective lies not in the mechanisms themselves, but in some countries' pursuit of national interests and preference for block confrontation, which impact the condition for trust, and jeopardize the atmosphere for cooperation, and undermine the international arms control process. The current circumstance underscores the urgency and difficulty of revitalizing multilateral disarmament architecture such as the Conference on Disarmament. China calls on all member states to seek common ground on the basis of mutual respect for others' security concerns, promote the substantive work of the CD's core agenda in a comprehensive and balanced manner, and restore its work to right direction.
Mr.President,
Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation represent important missions of mitigating the risk of war, addressing the security deficit, and promoting global peace. These efforts are vital to global strategic security and the common well-being of humanity. China stands ready to work with all parties to practice true multilateralism, consolidate and promote international arms control system with the UN as its core, and make tireless efforts to build a world of lasting peace and universal security.
Thank you, Mr.President.