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Hu Xiaodi, Chinese Ambassador, Statement by at the 58th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency
4 November 2003
Mr. President,
At the outset, I would like to thank Dr. ElBaradei ,
Director General of the International Atomic Energy
Agency for his report on the work of the Agency in the
past year.
Mr. President,
Over the past year, with the concerted efforts of the
IAEA Secretariat and the Member States, the Agency has
done a remarkable job in realizing the two major
objectives of the Statute, i.e., preventing nuclear
weapon proliferation and promoting peaceful uses of
nuclear energy. We are satisfied with the overall
efforts of the Agency and we would like to congratulate
the Secretariat for the achievements made under the
leadership of the Director General. We hope that the
Agency will further strengthen technical cooperation and
adopt effective measures to promote peaceful uses of
nuclear energy in all areas.
China, as its member, has given active support to the
Agency in all its work. In terms of non-proliferation,
China has supported the Agency in strengthening
safeguards and consolidating international
non-proliferation mechanisms. In March 2002, China
completed the legal procedure for the entry into force
of the Additional Protocol between China and the Agency,
the first among five nuclear-weapon-States to do so and
has since presented relevant declarations to the Agency.
We hereby call on all countries with major nuclear
activities to sign and ratify the Additional Protocol as
soon as possible. The Chinese Government and the Agency
have reached a decision to open a training course in
China early next year on nuclear material accountancy
and control.
China fully endorses the Agency’s efforts to enhance
physical protection of nuclear material. In
collaboration with the Agency, a training program on
physical protection of nuclear material and facility was
successfully held in China at the end of last year.
China contributed 100,000 US dollars worth in kind to
this event.
As a developing country, China has taken an active part
in the Agency’s promotional activities. We have
contributed 1.09 million US dollars to the TC Fund and
110,000 US dollars to RCA activities. Every year, China
hosts dozens of training courses, seminars, academic
conferences and other promotional activities and
receives experts sent by the Agency for further
training. We stand ready to continue contributing within
our capacity to all activities of the Agency.
Mr. President,
Now I wish to talk briefly on the position of the
Chinese Government on the Korean Peninsular nuclear
issue and the implementation of NPT safeguards agreement
in Iran.
It is the consistent position of China that the Korean
Peninsula should be nuclear weapon free, its peace and
stability maintained and the issue resolved peacefully
through dialogue. Thanks to the joint efforts of China
and other countries, the six-party talks were held in
Beijing from 27 to 29 August this year following the
three-party talks in Beijing in April. It marks an
important step towards a peaceful solution. Important
consensus was reached during the talks and the parties
agreed to resolve the nuclear issue through peaceful
means and dialogue. They maintained that the Korean
Peninsula should be nuclear weapon free and the security
concerns of the DPRK taken into consideration. The
parties agreed in principle that an overall solution
should be sought in a simultaneous and incremental way.
In the process of negotiations, any action or word that
may aggravate the situation should be avoided. Dialogue
should continue so as to enhance trust, reduce
differences and broaden common ground. The parties
agreed to further talks and that the specific date and
venue should be decided through diplomatic channels as
soon as possible. The Chinese side believes that the
six-party talks have set the objective of a
nuclear-weapon-free Korean Peninsula. The process
towards peaceful solution has already begun and the
principle of simultaneous and incremental solution has
been extensively recognized. At present, all parties
concerned should exercise restraint so as to create
favorable atmosphere and conditions for continued talks.
While having one’s own concerns in mind, it is important
to pay attention to and address the other party’s
legitimate concerns. The Chinese side is now working
with all other parties for an early opening of the next
round of six-party talks. We hope that the parties
concerned will show the spirit of conducting
consultations as equals and reconciliation for an early
and peaceful solution through dialogue, thus laying a
good foundation for lasting peace and stability in
Northeast Asia.
On the implementation of NPT safeguards agreement in
Iran, China has all along stood for non-proliferation of
nuclear weapons and held that all non-nuclear-weapon
states parties to the NPT are obliged not to develop or
possess nuclear weapons in strict observance of the
Treaty. Meanwhile, states parties are entitled to the
right of peaceful uses of nuclear energy under strict
Agency safeguards. We always maintain that Iran should
fully cooperate with the Agency, make all its nuclear
activities transparent to the Agency and join the
Additional Protocol at an early date. We are pleased to
note that Iran has recently cooperated with the Agency
more closely. It has submitted all documents concerning
its nuclear activities and expressed willingness to sign
and ratify the Additional Protocol and suspend nuclear
enrichment and reprocessing activities. China welcomes
and appreciates these positive measures. We hope to see
an early fulfillment of the relevant commitments by
Iran. We appreciate the efforts made by the French,
German and British foreign ministers and other relevant
countries in seeking a solution to the issue. It is our
hope that this will serve as an opportunity for a timely
and appropriate solution within the framework of the
IAEA.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Source: http://un.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/58943.html
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
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MIIS.
