UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) ended on Friday night without the adoption of an outcome document.
The parties agreed to hold the 11th review conference in New York in 2026. The first session of the preparatory committee of the next review conference will be held in Vienna in 2023. The second session of the preparatory committee is scheduled for 2024 in Geneva and the third session for 2025 in New York. A working group that is open to all states' parties will be established to further strengthen the review process.
Gustavo Zlauvinen, president of the 10th review conference, expressed great disappointment at the fact that the conference could not reach consensus on an outcome document.
The current international environment has had a very negative impact on the negotiation process and the outcome of this review conference. However, despite the absence of an outcome document, the delegations have fulfilled what the NPT requires this conference to review, interact, discuss, and engage in negotiations on all aspects of the obligations and commitments under the treaty, he said.
"Despite the many differences in positions .... at the conference, I believe the delegations reiterated the importance and relevance of the NPT and the commitment to keep it fit-for-purpose, and more importantly, to preserve its credibility," said Zlauvinen.
Fu Cong, director general of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and Li Song, Chinese ambassador for disarmament affairs, led a Chinese delegation to the review conference.
During the conference, the Chinese delegation introduced in a comprehensive manner the Global Security Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, and helped incorporate "common security" into the outcome document draft.
The Chinese delegation spoke highly of the status and role of the NPT and stood for the promotion of the three pillars of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy in a comprehensive and balanced manner, and emphasized the NPT's important role in serving the purpose of peace and development. This was also incorporated into the outcome document draft.
The Chinese delegation expounded China's position on safeguarding the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime with the NPT as the foundation; blasted the United States for its negative moves on disarmament, including its obsession with major-power strategic competition and attempts to seek absolute strategic advantage, strengthen military alliances, stir up bloc confrontation on the eastern and western sides of the Eurasian continent, and press ahead with the forward deployment of nuclear missiles and other strategic forces; and rejected the groundless accusations by the United States that China is accelerating the expansion of its nuclear arsenal and that China is unwilling to hold substantive dialogue with the U.S. side on nuclear disarmament.
The Chinese delegation also voiced strong opposition to cooperation between the United States, Britain and Australia on nuclear-powered submarines; warned Japan and other relevant countries against the replication of NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangements in the Asia-Pacific; pushed Japan to reiterate its position that the country will stick to its Three Non-Nuclear Principles and will not seek nuclear-sharing arrangements, and expressed grave concern over Japan's discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the ocean.
In his remarks at the closing plenary meeting, Li said that although a final document was not adopted at this conference, the states' parties have fully expressed their different opinions, positions and demands in search of common ground despite complex differences. This process significantly deepened the understanding of and appreciation of the profound and complex changes in the international situation, as well as discussions on addressing the severe challenges facing the non-proliferation regime. This is an important practice of common security and genuine multilateralism.
The 10th NPT Review Conference, which was originally scheduled for April-May 2020, had to be postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. NPT Review Conferences had been held every five years since 1975.
The ninth review conference in 2015 was also unable to adopt an outcome document. ■
