Working Paper Submitted by the Chinese Delegation
Nuclear Disarmament and Reduction of the Danger of Nuclear War

2002 Preparatory Committee for the 2005 NPT Review Conference

April 2002

1. The complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons must be realized and thus establishing a world free of nuclear weapons. This will fundamentally remove the threat of nuclear weapons to mankind and greatly enhance world peace and security.

2. To achieve the objectives above, all States Parties should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, abide by the Charter of the United Nations as well as other basic norms governing international relations, and avoid the use or threat of use of forces as a means to pursue national objectives.

3. All States parties should pursue a new security concept based upon mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation, commit themselves to the establishment of a just and equitable new international political and economic order so as to ensure common security for all, and create a favorable international environment for progress in nuclear disarmament.

4. Countries should refrain from introducing weapons to the outer space and conclude international treaties in this regard through negotiations, so as to maintain global strategic balance and stability and to promote nuclear disarmament.

5. The ABM Treaty is a cornerstone of global strategic balance and stability. Any damage or violation against it will have a negative impact on global strategic balance and stability and run counter to the efforts of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

6. Any nuclear disarmament measures, including various interim measures, should follow the principles of maintaining global strategic stability and undiminished security for all and in a way conducive to enhancing international peace and security.

7. The nuclear weapon States possessing the largest nuclear arsenals bear special responsibility for nuclear disarmament and should take the lead in reducing their nuclear arsenals drastically in a legally binding form. The nuclear weapons reduced should be destroyed. This will create conditions for other nuclear weapon states to join in the nuclear disarmament process.

8. The reduction of nuclear weapons should be carried out according to the principles of being effectively verifiable, irreversible and legally binding.

9. All nuclear weapon States should undertake not to be the first to use nuclear weapons and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones at any time and under any circumstances, and on that basis, conclude international legal instruments in this regard.

10. The nuclear weapon States should undertake to withdraw and return home all the nuclear weapons deployed outside of their own territories..

11. The nuclear weapon States and the non nuclear weapons states offering and receiving ?nuclear protection? should forgo their policy of ?nuclear umbrella? and ?nuclear-sharing?.

12. No State should research and develop low-yield and more-easily-used nuclear weapons.

13. The nuclear weapon States should take all necessary steps to avoid accidental or unauthorized launches of unclear weapons.

14. Countries that have not yet signed and ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty should do so as soon as possible so that the Treaty may enter into force at an early date according to its provisions. Nuclear-weapon States should continue their moratoria on nuclear testing.

15. The Conference on Disarmament in Geneva should, on a basis of a comprehensive and balanced program of work, begin at an early date negotiations on nuclear disarmament and a treaty banning the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.

16. Countries that have not yet done so should accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at an early date.

17. Having taken the above-mentioned measures, a treaty on the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons should be concluded through negotiations and thus realizing a world free of nuclear weapons.

This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2007 by MIIS.