A senior Chinese diplomat yesterday urged the international
community to sign an international covenant preventing an outer
space arms race.
Addressing an international conference on the disarmament agenda
for the 21st century, Qiao Zonghuai,
vice-minister of foreign affairs, spoke on effective ways to
prevent the arms race.
The conference was jointly sponsored by the United Nations and
China's Foreign Ministry.
Human beings have made huge achievements in the exploration and the
utilization of outer space technology, Qiao said, thus greatly
boosting the development of the world.
On
March 25, China successfully launched its third unmanned
spacecraft, the "Shenzhou III."
This success marks a huge step in the development of Chinese outer
space technology, he added.
However, some countries are still developing outer space arms.
Military strategies for "controlling outer space" and "ensuring
advantage in outer space" have been put forward, which increase the
likelihood of an arms race in outer space, he said.
He
warned that if this happens, the peaceful development of outer
space would be jeopardized, and the interests of all countries
would be adversely affected.
The international community should adopt effective preventive
measures and make a special international agreement to ban any
weapons of destruction from outer space which could prevent a space
arms race, he said.
Qiao also gave a brief account of China's proposals in this
respect, which include banning weapon experimentation, banning the
placement and use of any arms in outer space, and banning the use
or threatened use of arms against any object in outer space.
Qiao also said China is willing to join hands with the
international community and exert every effort for the passage of
such an agreement to strive for peace in outer space.
Other participants of the meeting also voiced similar concerns,
stressing the importance of banning weapons from the final
frontier.
(Xinhua News
Agency April 4, 2002)