The warning came as Hu Xiaodi, the Chinese ambassador on disarmament, delivered his speech at the First Committee of the 55th General Assembly session. The First Committee is in charge of disarmament and international security.

"Some negative development took place recently in the field of international security, enabling peace-loving people to be worried about the prospects of nuclear disarmament," Hu said.

Although the United States has decided to put off the deployment of the national missile defense system (NMD), Washington does not give up the program to develop the system, he said.

The deployment of NMD will surely violate the ABM Treaty,destroy the prerequisite to and basis of the progress in nuclear disarmament, and intensify the senses of insecurity and distrust among member states, he said.

The deployment will lead to a new round of arms race in the world, he said.

The ABM Treaty, signed by the United States and the former Soviet Union in 1972, constitutes a cornerstone of global strategic stability, and goes far beyond the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship in its significance.

During the general debate at the First Committee, which began early this month, representatives from many countries voiced their concerns on the U.S. move to develop the missile defense system, and called for specific efforts to strictly abide by the ABM Treaty.

The General Assembly session last year adopted a resolution, titled "Preservation of and Compliance with the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty," mirroring the hope of most countries in the world to maintain global strategic balance and stability, observers here said.

(Xinhua 10/17/2000)