BEIJING: China unveiled a white paper detailing its approach to arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation, reaffirming its commitment to global peace and stability and urging stronger international cooperation amid rising security challenges.
The white paper, titled “China’s Arms Control, Disarmament and Nonproliferation in the New Era”, was released by the State Council Information Office. It provides a comprehensive overview of China’s policies and practices on arms control, as well as its positions on security governance in emerging fields such as outer space, cyberspace and artificial intelligence. The document highlights the increasingly fragile global security environment, noting that conflicts are continuously erupting and geopolitical tensions are intensifying across regions.
In response to these challenges, China reaffirms its commitment to “upholding the international arms control regime with the United Nations at its core” and collaborating with the international community to strengthen global governance, it said, adding that the country “supports all efforts to build a world of lasting peace and common security”.
The white paper emphasized that China strictly follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, stating that it “will never seek hegemony or expansion, or seek to build spheres of influence”.
“A stronger Chinese military always adds strength to the world’s peaceful forces,” the document said.
It also highlights China’s transparency in defense spending, noting that since 2007, the nation has submitted annual reports on its military expenditures for the previous fiscal year to the UN Report on Military Expenditures.
Underscoring China’s active participation in multilateral arms control, the white paper said that China has ratified or signed more than 20 multilateral arms control treaties, established arms control and nonproliferation consultation mechanisms with more than 20 countries and international organizations, and fulfilled its treaty obligations in the fields of nuclear, biological and chemical arms control.
Regarding emerging fields such as outer space, cyberspace and AI, the white paper proposes that with the universal participation of all countries, the UN should play a pivotal role in fostering a global governance framework and standards for these fields based on broad consensus, while increasing the representation and voice of developing countries.
Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, described the release of the white paper as a concrete measure to implement the China-proposed Global Security Initiative and Global Governance Initiative.
The document highlights China’s role as a major power actively leading global security governance and shouldering the responsibility of safeguarding international peace and security, he said on Thursday at a daily news briefing in Beijing. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
