In an address to the session, head of Chinese delegation Hu Xiaodi said some recent developments "have been particularly worrisome," warning that the multilateral disarmament and arms control process is now facing a severe test.

The role of nuclear weapons in certain country's national strategy has not been drastically reduced, the development of missile defense systems and outer-space weapons have negative effects on global strategic stability, and the deterioration of international security environment increases the risks of nuclear proliferation, Hu said.

Hu stressed the need to create a favorable international security environment through a new security concept based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation to establish common security for all countries.

He also put forth a 10-point proposal to promote sound development disarmament and arms control, which includes:

-- Countries should pursue a new security concept based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation and work for a just and equitable new international political and economic order, to ensure common security for all;

-- Countries should refrain from introducing weapons into outerspace;

-- Nuclear disarmament measures, including interim ones, should be based on the principles of global strategic and undiminished security for all;

-- The nuclear-weapon states possessing the largest nuclear arsenals should take the lead in reducing their respective nuclear arsenals drastically and in a legally binding form, and the nuclear weapons reduced should be destroyed;

-- The reduction of nuclear weapons should be effectively verifiable, irreversible and in a legally binding manner;

-- All nuclear-weapon states should undertake not to be the first to use nuclear weapons and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapons-free zones at any time or under any circumstances;

-- Nuclear-weapon states should withdraw all the nuclear weapons they have deployed abroad back into their own territories;

-- Countries that have not signed and ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty should do so as soon as possible;

-- The Conference on Disarmament in Geneva should reach a work program at an early date to start the substantive work on such issues as nuclear disarmament, banning production of materials used for making nuclear weapons and preventing arms race in outer space;

-- These and other measures should lead to the negotiation and conclusion of a treaty on the complete prohibition and destruction of nuclear weapons.

(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2003)