A Chinese official said in Geneva on Monday that China has always attached great importance to the full and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

Addressing a meeting of BWC State Parties in Geneva, the head of the Chinese delegation Wang Qun said China has been committed to and made efforts to implement the BWC, with measures including legislation, law enforcement, institution building and participation in international cooperation.

He also made proposals at the meeting on how to strengthen measures to fulfill obligations under the BWC.

Those proposals include establishing and perfecting the related legislative system and ensuring strict law enforcement, setting up effective mechanisms for implementation, strengthening publicity and training work and actively participating in regional and international cooperation.

Wang said since its entry into force in 1975, the BWC has played an important role in banning and destroying biological weapons and guarding against biological terrorism.

Facing new threats such as terrorism and infectious diseases, countries should make full use of the multilateral platform provided by the BWC to enhance cooperation and communication, Wang said.

The BWC is more formally referred to as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, signed in 1972 and which came into force in 1975.

The BWC was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons. It currently has 159 State Parties, with a further 15 states having signed but not yet ratified.

China joined the BWC in 1984.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2007)