(10 March 2026, The Hague)
Mr. Chairperson,
Welcome back to preside over this session. The Chinese delegation stands ready to work closely with you, and with all the other delegations, in order to bring about a positive outcome of this session. China welcomes the statement made by the Director-General (DG) and the reports by the Vice-Chairpersons. China associates itself with the statement made by Ambassador of Uganda on behalf of the States Parties of the Non-Aligned Movement and China. I would like now to elaborate China’s positions further.
Mr. Chairperson,
The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. The international situation is becoming increasingly turbulent and complex. Global development faces a series of uncertainties and unpredictable factors. Unilateralism, protectionism and power politics are on the rise. The post-World War II international order and the norms governing international relations are facing severe challenges. The world is confronted with the real risk of sliding back to the law of the jungle. And the international strategic security and arms control processes are under grave pressure. The situation in Iran remains a focal point of the current international landscape. China wishes to reiterate that it stands opposed to the military strikes against Iran by the United States and Israel in violation of international law. China maintains that the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region should be respected and must not be infringed upon. China calls for an immediate cessation of the military actions to prevent the progressive escalation and spillover of the conflict. All sides should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible and resolve their differences through dialogue.
Last year, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative, advocating the five aspects of sovereign equality, adherence to international law, the practice of multilateralism, a people-centered approach and action-oriented cooperation. The initiative provides China’s proposal for strengthening and improving global governance. In last November, the Chinese government issued a white paper titled China’s Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in the New Era, which, for the first time, proposes the concept of a fair, cooperative, balanced and effective arms control in the new era. That demonstrates China’s firm commitment to the maintenance of world peace and security.
Mr. Chairperson,
The Chemical Weapons Convention (the Convention) is one of the key pillars of the global security governance architecture, as well as an important international legal basis for the economic and technological development in the chemical arena. China calls on all parties to uphold the objects and purposes of the Convention, strengthen dialogue and cooperation and safeguard the authority of the Convention firmly, so as to inject greater stability into a turbulent world. China wishes hereby to highlight the following points:
Firstly, we should draw lessons from history, uphold international fairness and justice, and accelerate the destruction of the chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China (JACWs). JACWs were among the heinous crimes committed by the Japanese militarists during Japan’s war of aggression against China. Showing tremendous goodwill and making enormous concessions, China agreed to Japan’s request to destroy JACWs on the Chinese territory. Regrettably, the goodwill has been repeatedly betrayed. Japan has failed to meet the deadline for the JACWs destruction for 4 times already. So, even today, eighty years since the victories of the World Anti-Fascist War and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against the Japanese Aggression, the completion of the destruction remains nowhere in sight.
The root cause of this situation lies in Japan’s improper historical attitude, insufficient commitment to fulfilling its obligation and inadequate inputs in the destruction. The new destruction plan will expire in 2027, but the risk of a deadline extension for the 5th time is rising, whereas Japan’s inputs and sense of urgency continue to decline. This reflects a significant retreat in the Japanese government’s sense of historical responsibility. Recently, as clearly witnessed by the international community, the wrongful remarks made by the Japanese Prime Minister regarding Taiwan wantonly crossed the red line of China’s sovereignty, and revealed once again the undying ambition of the right-wing forces in Japan to break away from its pacifist constitution and accelerate its remilitarization. Their ultimate goal is to revive militarism and challenge the post-World War II international order. China expresses its grave concern and resolute opposition towards this. The international community should remain highly vigilant and resolutely resist reckless moves of Japanese neo-militarism.
China urges Japan to face up to its own responsibility and obligation and speed up the disposal of JACWs along its entire chain. JACWs are the biggest real obstacle to the creation of a world free of chemical weapons. The destruction of JACWs requires strengthened actions in monitoring and verification by the OPCW and the international community to ensure that Japan faithfully honours its obligation and destroys JACWs completely and thoroughly at an early date.
Secondly, we must firmly safeguard the authority of the Convention and properly address hotspot issues, such as those relating to Chemical Weapons (CWs). The OPCW should address and investigate the alleged uses of CWs strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Convention, and ensure that the relevant conclusions can stand the test of history and practice. China has always held that the attribution functions of the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) and the Office of Special Missions (OSM) exceed the mandate of the Convention. China objects to the institutionalization of the so‑called attribution mechanism and calls on all parties to uphold the authority of the Convention and the unity of the organization, and to bring the relevant investigations back into the framework of the Convention.
Thirdly, we should actively adapt to trends in industrial transformation and strengthen security governance in the newly emerging fields. In the recent years, emerging technologies like AI have developed rapidly and iteratively, bringing risks and challenges to the CW-related arms control and non‑proliferation efforts, which must be ignored. China commends the DG and the TS for addressing these issues with a forward‑looking perspective, and for continuing the discussions on emerging technologies such as AI. China supports conducting discussions held in an open and inclusive manner to ensure a broad and in‑depth participation by all sides. Last year, China and the OPCW successfully held the first Artificial Intelligence Capacity‑Building Workshop in Shanghai, which was attended by nearly 40 participants from 28 countries. That represented the tangible practice of China’s Global AI Governance Initiative in the OPCW. To keep the positive momentum of the cooperation, China will co‑host the second AI workshop with the OPCW in Hangzhou this year, and welcomes active registration and attendance by all states.
Fourthly, we should uphold the principle of good for all and shared benefits and deepen the international cooperation in the chemical field. International cooperation for peaceful purposes is a right granted to States Parties by the Convention and should be fully and effectively satisfied. As a responsible major country, China has always supported the work of the OPCW within its power, actively fostered more pragmatic cooperation and striven to provide more practical and effective public goods for the Global South nations. China has made positive contributions to strengthening capacity-building in the developing countries and promoting the comprehensive and balanced implementation of the Convention. Over the years, China has consistently offered the use of its chemical facilities to the Associate Program, helping build internship platforms for the participants from the developing nations. China has also sent expert instructors to support the customs lab training program, with positive results registered. China calls on the OPCW to enrich its toolbox for international cooperation further and increase its resources inputs therein, so as to make scientific and technological achievements in the chemical field truly benefit the developing countries. China also urges certain states to lift their unilateral coercive measures and cease to impose restrictions on the peaceful use of chemical science and technology.
Mr. Chairperson,
As the country with the world’s largest chemical industry, China has always implemented the Convention in an efficient and exemplary way. To date, China has received more than 540 OPCW industry inspections, with zero outstanding issue recorded. China firmly supports the pillar role of the Convention’s verification mechanism, actively participates in the reform of the inspection mechanism. And, drawing on its extensive practical experience in implementation, China has contributed some Chinese solutions for the sake of bringing the verification regime to evolve towards greater efficiency, balance and sustainability.
Looking ahead, China stands ready to work with all other parties in deepening the practice of multilateralism, firmly safeguarding the authority of the Convention, and making unremitting efforts towards creating a world free of chemical weapons and building a global community with a shared future for mankind.
Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.