BEIJING: Stepping up its diplomatic efforts, China has once again sounded the alarm at the United Nations over Japan’s potential nuclear ambitions, urging the global community to remain highly vigilant.
The warning was delivered Monday in New York by Shen Jian, China’s Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, during a review conference on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Highlighting China’s rising unease, this marks the third time in recent days that China has used the UN stage to call out Tokyo’s nuclear-related developments.
Chinese experts point out that the UN-centered international system, combined with Japan’s pacifist Constitution and its “three non-nuclear principles,” are hard-won triumphs of World War II. China’s persistent warnings at the UN, analysts say, reflect its determination to safeguard that postwar order and preserve global stability.
They added that, as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Tokyo Trial, Japan’s recent maneuvers – from constitutional revision efforts to shifting nuclear policies – signal a dangerous drift toward neo-militarism. By actively raising the alarm at the UN, China aims to awaken the international community to Tokyo’s attempts to shed its post-WWII constraints, while simultaneously applying deterrent pressure on Japan’s emboldened right-wing factions. Shen on Monday outlined China’s position on preventing nuclear proliferation, stating that certain countries are pursuing double standards on non-proliferation, thereby undermining the authority of the treaty and the safeguards and supervision system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the website of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN.
Shen specifically pointed to Japan’s recent negative developments regarding nuclear armament, stressing that the international community should remain highly vigilant.
In recent years Japan has made a series of negative moves and statements regarding the possession of nuclear weapons, including promoting the revisions to the pacifist Constitution and the “three non-nuclear principles,” seeking the deployment of nuclear weapons by allies on its territory, Shen said.
Shen said that China firmly opposes the proliferation of nuclear weapons, advocates the comprehensive, faithful and balanced implementation of all obligations under the NPT, and stands ready to work with the international community to uphold and strengthen the international nuclear non-proliferation regime with the treaty as its cornerstone.
Shen’s remarks are not the first at the UN in recent days. On April 29, Sun Xiaobo, director-general of the Department of Arms Control of China’s Foreign Ministry, also warned at an NPT review conference that the international community should remain highly vigilant and resolutely curb attempts by certain countries to acquire nuclear weapons, according to the website of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN.
In a separate statement at the NPT review conference on April 29, the Chinese delegation listed several concerns, including Japan’s status as a “threshold nuclear state,” its possession of reprocessing technology, and its ability to extract weapons-grade plutonium. Japan currently holds about 44.4 tons of separated plutonium under domestic and international management, far exceeding civilian needs, according to the website of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN.
The delegation warned that Japan’s stance on non-proliferation is contradictory: while portraying itself internationally as a victim of nuclear weapons and an advocate of a nuclear-free world, it has strengthened reliance on extended deterrence and shown eagerness to replicate “nuclear sharing” arrangements.
Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday that China’s repeated warnings at the UN aim to draw international attention and apply moral and rules-based pressure to deter Japan’s nuclear ambitions. “The international community, especially regional countries, should remain alert to early signs of risk and right-wing adventurism, and take preventive measures,” Xiang said. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
