|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
    |
|
|
|||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
China, France Agree to Form Nonproliferation Task Force
China and France agreed yesterday to establish a joint task force on arms control and nonproliferation (see GSN, Jan. 27). In a joint statement signed yesterday in Paris by visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and French President Jacques Chirac, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the importance of preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. To that end, China and France agreed to form an arms control and nonproliferation task force “within the framework of [a] bilateral strategic dialogue,” as well as to increase cooperation in arms control, export controls and nonproliferation, the joint statement says. According to the statement, France also “welcomes” Chinese efforts to develop a national export control system (see GSN, Dec. 29, 2003), and supports China’s membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime “at the earliest possible date.” In their statement, both China and France called on other countries to observe international nonproliferation regimes, including the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Both countries also agreed to work for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (see GSN, Sept. 5, 2003; Xinhua News Agency, BBC Monitoring, Jan. 28).
| ||||||||||
Back to top
