China: Accession to Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

On July 1, 1968, the Treaty was signed at Washington in the name of the Republic of China.  An instrument of ratification of the Treaty on behalf of the Republic of China was deposited at Washington on January 27, 1970.  Effective January 1, 1979, the United States recognized the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China.  The authorities on Taiwan state that they will continue to abide by the provisions of the Treaty and the United States regards them as bound by its obligations.

 

The instrument of accession to the Treaty by the People’s Republic of China contains statements, a translation of which reads as follows:

 

“Mr. Secretary,

“I have the honor to inform you that the People’s Republic of China, in accordance with the decision made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on 29 December 1991, hereby accedes to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (hereinafter referred to as the Treaty) which was opened for signature at London, Moscow and Washington on 1 July 1968, and to state as follows:

 

“1.  Pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, China has all along stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons.  With a view to bringing about this objective and maintaining international peace, security and stability, and taking into consideration the aspirations and demands of the large numbers of non-nuclear-weapon countries, China has decided to accede to the Treaty.

 

“2.  China pursues a policy of not advocating, encouraging or engaging in the proliferation of nuclear weapons, nor helping other countries to develop nuclear weapons.  China supports the objectives set forth in the Treaty, namely, prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, acceleration of nuclear disarmament and promotion of international cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and believes that these three objectives are interrelated.

 

“3.  China maintains that the prevention of proliferation of nuclear weapons is not an end in itself, but a measure and step in the process towards the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons.  Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament should be mutually complementary.  Only when substantial progress is made in the field of nuclear disarmament can the proliferation of nuclear weapons be checked most effectively and the authority of the nuclear non-proliferation regime truly enhanced.  At the same time, an effective nuclear non-proliferation regime is conducive to the goal of total elimination of nuclear weapons.  To attain the lofty goal of complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, countries with the largest nuclear arsenals should earnestly fulfill their special obligations by taking the lead in halting the testing, production and deployment of nuclear weapons and drastically reducing those weapons of all kinds they have deployed inside and outside their countries.  Tangible progress they make in all these aspects will create conditions for the convening of a widely representative international conference on nuclear disarmament with the participation of all nuclear-weapon states.

 

“4.  China maintains that in order to improve and strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and help attain the goal of complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, the following specific measures should also be taken:

(1)  All nuclear-weapon states undertake not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and an international agreement on the non-first-use of nuclear weapons should be concluded.

(2)  All nuclear-weapon states undertake not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon countries or nuclear-free zones, and an international legal instrument on the non-use or non-threat of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon countries and nuclear-free zones should be concluded.

(3)  All nuclear-weapon states undertake to support the proposition of establishing nuclear weapon-free zones, respect the status of such zones and undertake corresponding obligations.

(4)  All states that have nuclear weapons deployed outside their boundaries withdraw all those weapons back to their own territories.

(5)  The major space powers halt their arms race in outer space and cease the development of space weapons, the nuclear-related in particular.

 

“5.  The signing and ratification of the Treaty by the Taiwan authorities in the name of China on 1 July 1968 and 27 January 1970 respectively are illegal and null and void.”