16 November 1995
A White Paper on Arms Control and Disarmament released by the Information Office of the State Council of China notes that the country has consistently advocated a complete prohibition and thorough destruction of biological weapons, opposing the production of biological weapons by any country and their proliferation in any form by any country.
-- China: Arms Control and Disarmament, V. Strict Control over the Transfer of Sensitive Materials and Military Equipment, Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, November 1995; http://www.china.org.cn/e-white/army/a-6.htm.

25 April 1996
Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Russian President Boris Yeltsin sign a joint statement in Beijing in which both sides call for an accelerated progress in further improving the effectiveness of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
--"China, Russia Issue Joint Statement," Xinhua News Agency, 25 April 1996; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

13 August 1996
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Shen Guofang calls "groundless" the allegations by the United States Congress and Arms Control and Disarmament Agency that China has violated its commitments to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Shen states, "We call on the related U.S. agency to stop this kind of irresponsible action immediately, and do its bit for the promotion of Sino-U.S. ties."
--"Allegation on China Violating International Treaties Groundless: FM Spokesperson," Xinhua News Agency, 13 August 1996; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

28 November 1996
At the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in Geneva, Ambassador Sha Zukang, the Head of the Chinese Delegation, expresses that China is in favor of a complete ban on biological weapons, but with regards to treaty verification, he adds, "We hold that [verification] can only be set up in light of the specific features of biological weapons. Bio-technology has an extremely wide application in the civil fields of industry, agriculture, health and medicine and food processing, which differs drastically from technologies for nuclear and chemical weapons." The Chinese delegation does not support verification methods that will "interfere with peaceful uses of bio-technologies and even harm the legitimate commercial confidentiality."
--"China to Support Strengthening of Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention," BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, Part 3 Asia-Pacific; China; Internal Affairs; Military; FE/D2781/G; 28 November 1996; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

6 December 1996
Talks on the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention end in Geneva without any progress on a verification protocol to prevent countries from cheating. While developed countries push for a verification protocol to be ready by mid-1998, China and Iraq, among other countries, desire a deadline of 2001.
--"Biological Arms Talks End with no Progress on Verification: Diplomats," Agence France Presse, 6 December 1996; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

July-December 1996
A report by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) published in July 1997 identifies China as a major supplier of nuclear, chemical and biological technology during the last half of 1996. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tang Guoqiang subsequently calls the CIA report "purely fictitious and concocted."
--"China Denies U.S. Allegations on Weapons, Supercomputers," Associated Press, 3 July 1997; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

11 August 1997
A group of 108 Chinese citizens files a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court against the Japanese government demanding compensation of 1.08 billion yen for damages caused by Japanese germ warfare in China during World War II.
--"New Evidence of Germ Warfare Emerges as Chinese Group Demands Compensation," BBC Summary of World Broadcasts/Kyodo News Service, 11 August 1997; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

2 September 1997
The United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency publishes a report stating the view that China "probably" has an active biological weapons program. The report lists six other suspected countries, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Libya and Russia, all of which have signed the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
--"Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control Agreements," U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency Reports, 1997, http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/acda/reports/annual/comp97.htm; "Britain Researching into "Anti-Germ Warfare" Tactics," Straits Times (Singapore), 2 September 1997, in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

17 January 1998
China sends three weapons experts in missile, biological and chemical weapons to Iraq to join the United Nations Special Committee (UNSCOM) for weapons verifications. This is the first time for the Chinese experts to participate in UNSCOM work.
--"First Chinese Experts to Join Weapons Verification in Iraq," Xinhua News Agency, 17 January 2004; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

27 June 1998
Chinese President Jiang Zemin and U.S. President Bill Clinton release a joint statement on the "Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention." Both sides express strong support for the complete global elimination of biological weapons and a determination to abide by the provisions of the convention. They support efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of the convention and improve transparency while simultaneously protecting sensitive commercial information and legitimate security needs.
--"Joint Statement on Biological Weapons," Xinhua News Agency, 27 June 1998; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

29 June 1998
Shenzhen's municipal government and the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences sign an agreement to build a biological engineering industrial base in Shenzhen, a municipality in southern China. The academy is the top medical science research body of the People's Liberation Army.
--"China: Bio-Engineering Base to be Built in Shenzhen," Xinhua News Agency, 29 June 1998; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

27 July 1998
The Information Office of the State Council of China publishes its 1998 Defense White Paper. The paper states that China has "fully and conscientiously fulfilled its obligations" under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and has cooperated to strengthen confidence-building measures in accordance with the decisions of the review conferences. With regards to verification measures, the White Paper states that verifications measures should "protect the rightful commercial and security secrets of states parties." The report also states China's position that "international cooperation and exchanges among states parties in the sphere of bio-technology for peaceful purposes should also be strengthened."
--"Full Text of White Paper on China's National Defense," Xinhua News Agency, 27 July 1998; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

14 October 1998
At the 53rd Session of the UN General Assembly, China's Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Li Changhe reiterates China's support for international conventions to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Li points out that as a signatory to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, as well as the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, China has honored its obligations and has imposed strict control on the export of sensitive items and their production technologies and equipment. Li reiterates that while China supports nonproliferation efforts, Beijing simultaneously supports a state's rights to pursue science and technology for peaceful uses.
--"China against Proliferation of Mass Destruction Weapons," Xinhua News Agency, 14 October 1998; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

13 October 1999
Shen Guofang, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, states that China supports the strengthening of Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, but desires that a fair verification mechanism be developed. Shen states, "It is imperative that the balance between the rights and obligations of states parties be taken into full account so as to prevent the abusive use of verification and to protect the legitimate security and economic interests of all states parties."
--"China Backs Efforts to Strengthen BTWC," Xinhua News Agency, 13 October 1999; in Lexis-Nexis, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

	Updated November 2005