The fifth Sino-US conference on arms control, disarmament and
nonproliferation will be held in Beijing from July 20 to 21, said
Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue in Beijing Thursday at a regular press
conference.
Over 50 scholars, experts and government officials from China
and the United States will attend the conference, she said. Vice
Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui also will be present at the opening
ceremony.
The representative for the US side is Susan Burk, acting
Assistant Secretary of? State, and the representative for the
Chinese side is Liu Jieyi, director of the Department of
Disarmament and Arms Control with the Foreign Ministry, she
said.
Major topics of the conference include the construction of
Sino-US strategic security framework, challenges facing the
international nonproliferation system and strategies to deal with
them, Sino-US cooperation on nonproliferation and the development
of international nonproliferation, Zhang said.
China holds that its government and the United States share
common interests in arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation.
The two sides have undertaken frequent consultations in these
fields in recent years, including the Sino-US conferences in both
countries and three rounds of consultations at vice ministerial
level.
Also on Thursday's press conference, Zhang Qiyue said that China
advocates to expand the United Nations Security Council "at
appropriate time and with appropriate means."
Zhang said after 60 years of development and changes since the
United Nations was founded, the members states of the United
Nations have greatly increased.
China believes it is necessary for the United Nations to have
some reforms and the UN Security Council to properly expand, she
said.
But the expansion should proceed through broad discussions and
consultations of all of the UN members, she added.
In response to a question on whether China supports Germany to
attain the status of the permanent member of the UN Security
Council, Zhang said Germany plays an important role in Europe and
the world at large so China hopes to see Germany play bigger role
in the international arena.
The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan set up a panel of important
leaders to deal with UN reform in November, 2003. Former Chinese
Vice-Premier Qian Qichen was among the members of the panel.
Zhang said China supports the work of the panel and has kept in
touch with other UN members on the UN reform.
On the European Union's weapons embargo to China, Zhang
reiterated the embargo is a product of the Cold War so it is
obsolete and detrimental to the growth of the Sino-EU comprehensive
and strategic partnership.
"China hopes the EU members to have serious study on the issue
and lift the embargo at an early date," she said.
(Sources including China Daily and Xinhua News Agency, July 16,
2004)