"Facing the new century, we firmly believe that, only through mutual understanding, accommodation, respect, coordination and cooperation, can all countries in the world join hands to maintain peace and security and achieve development and prosperity," Hu told the plenary of the Conference on Disarmament.

"The Chinese government has all along pursued an independent foreign policy of peace. It attaches importance to and actively participated in the ongoing efforts of the international community to promote just and rational arms control and disarmament," he said.

In the new century, the Chinese ambassador stated that China would stick to its set of principles, positions and proposals, such as preserving strategic security and stability, promoting nuclear disarmament and preventing the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space.

He said that preserving the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and checking the trend of weaponization of outer space are the most urgent and imperative tasks of the day.

Ambassador Hu said the ABM Treaty is the cornerstone of preserving global strategic stability, therefore it should be strictly observed. Any attempt to undermine its integrity and effectiveness, by whatever excuses, will bring far-reaching negative consequences to international peace and security.

At the same time, Hu said, the missile defence systems currently under development poses a serious danger of outer space weaponization, which might trigger off a new arms race.

"It has become a top priority task for the international community to take effective measures to prevent the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space," said the Chinese ambassador. "The conference should immediately re-establish an Ad Hoc Committee to negotiate and conclude an international legal instrument or instruments preventing the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space."

He said that the international community is deeply worried that the very country conducting space war exercises and weaponizing outer space has single-handedly obstructed the negotiations on prevention of an arms race in outer space in the conference by denying the risk of the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space.

"Undoubtedly, international arms control and disarmament efforts are currently at a crossroads," he said. "The most outstanding menace comes from the attempts to overthrow the ABM Treaty and weaponize outer space."

Under such circumstances, the Chinese ambassador said, to formulate a comprehensive and balance program of work and start negotiations on such issues as prevention of an arms race in outer space, nuclear disarmament, a fissile material cut-off treaty and negative security assurances is not only the obligation of the Conference on Disarmament, but also the only possible way to break the current stalemate and achieve progress.

(People's Daily 02/16/2001)