On April 4 local time, Chinese ambassador for Disarmament Li Song led a delegation to attend the second preparatory meeting of the ninth Review Conference of the biological weapons convention. Li Song pointed out that the United States, as a depositary, should set an example in effectively fulfilling its obligations under the biological weapons convention and should not be an exception.
Li Song said that the BWC is the cornerstone of global biosafety governance. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening and signing of the Convention, countries should not only fully recognize the important role of the Convention in preventing biosafety threats and promoting the peaceful use of biotechnology, but also face the threats and challenges and comprehensively strengthen the mechanism of the Convention through the review conference.
To this end, States parties should strive to negotiate and establish the verification mechanism of the Convention as soon as possible, strengthen the mechanism of confidence building measures, strengthen international cooperation and assistance, promote responsible biological scientific research, and comprehensively strengthen the biosafety mechanism. They should also consider issuing a common political declaration at the review conference to express their political commitment to strictly fulfill their obligations under the Convention, comprehensively strengthen the mechanism of the Convention and universality.
Li Song pointed out that recently, Russia announced the relevant documents of the United States' biological military activities in Ukraine, which attracted extensive attention of the international community, further highlighting the importance and urgency of States parties' consultation and cooperation within the framework of the Convention and clarifying compliance concerns. The United States is the country with the largest biological military activities in the world and the only country opposed to the establishment of the Convention verification mechanism. It is entirely reasonable for the international community to have doubts. This is not the problem of the US biological laboratory in Ukraine, nor is it a new problem arising from the current situation.
Li Song stressed that China has suffered from chemical and biological weapons in history, has always advocated the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of all weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons, and is firmly opposed to any country developing, possessing or using chemical and biological weapons under any circumstances. We welcome the international community's assessment of the archives disclosed by Russia under the frameworks of the biological weapons convention and the United Nations, and also listen to the clarification of the United States fairly and impartially. The international community has its own opinion on whether it is false information through clarification and evaluation.
At the same time, it is also necessary for the US side to clarify its biological military activities in other parts of the world and give a clear and convincing explanation to the international community. As a depositary of the Convention, the United States should set an example in the practical implementation of its obligations under the Convention and should not be an exception.