China supports the international treaty that bans and restricts the use of inhumane conventional weapons and is encouraging more countries to accept it, a senior Chinese disarmament official said on Monday.

At the Second Annual Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Amended Protocol II, the head of the Chinese delegation, Sha Zukang, brought up the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects.

"The Chinese delegation has noted that, since the last annual conference, the number of countries that have acceded to the amended protocol has increased from 45 to 58," said Sha. "This shows that more and more countries attach importance to the Protocol, which is the first international legal instrument to address this issue of humanitarian concern. Now, almost all major land mine producing and using countries have acceded to the protocol."

However, Sha said, 58 states are too few. "Lack of universality will undercut the protocol's significance," he stressed. "And no matter how perfect an international legal instrument is, its influence and effectiveness will be limited in the absence of universal participation."

He urged the states to follow the Protocol in earnest.

Sha announced that the Chinese delegation is strongly opposed to any proposal for further amending the protocol at the current stage.

However, he said, states may, on a voluntary basis, take the lead in implementing technical specifications as outlined in the proposed amendments and provide gratuitous technical assistance, equipment and training to developing countries.

On humanitarian de-mining, Sha said that the Chinese government is continuing to cooperate with the Mine Action Service of the United Nations Department of Peace-Keeping Operations by co- sponsoring another training workshop on de-mining technology from May to June this year, with trainees from Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Rwanda.

The Chinese government is pressing rapidly ahead with its donations of de-mining equipment to Cambodia, Angola, Mozambique, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Namibia, he added.

"We hope this conference will strengthen exchanges and cooperation on de-mining technologies for reducing and ultimately doing away with land mines Sha said.

He emphasized that the Chinese government stands ready to cooperate and exchange with interested countries and inter-organizations in the field of humanitarian de-mining assistance and that China is also willing to join other states and explore ways to streamline the de-mining process.

(Xinhua 12/13/2000)