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Statement by Ambassador HU Xiaodi, Head of the Chinese Delegation, at the Sixth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts of the States Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons(November 17, 2003, Geneva) 2004/04/16 Mr. Chairman, The Chinese delegation welcomes Mr. Chairman and the two Coordinators to continue to preside over this session of the Meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) of the States Parties to the CCW. We appreciate the efforts by all of you for the work of the GGE over the last two years. The Chinese delegation will continue to support your work and cooperate with you, so as to contribute to the progress of this meeting. Mr. Chairman, China attaches great importance to the humanitarian problems caused by Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) and has been actively participating in the negotiations on this issue in a constructive manner. We are willing to contribute to the conclusion of a feasible and effective ERW instrument. After five sessions of meetings, the negotiation on ERW instrument has reached to its decisive stage. We would like to extent our gratitude to Amb. Sanders for his efforts and express our appreciation for his excellent diplomatic skill. The Draft Proposal on an Instrument on ERW distributed by him before this meeting generally reflects the results of our previous discussion, including the compromise of different positions on such key issues as clearance of ERW and the existing ERW, which provides a good basis for the conclusion of an ERW instrument. Meanwhile, the Chinese delegation studied the Menu for a possible mandate on preventive measures for specific type of munitions proposed by Amb. Sanders. In our view, during the previous meetings, countries have made in-depth analysis and presentations on the effectiveness and feasibility of the installation of self-destructed and self-deactivated devices to submunitions. Most countries are faced with enormous financial and technical difficulties in this field. As a result, it is premature to further explore this issue at this stage. The pressing task is to maintain the progress so far on the negotiation of ERW, with a view to concluding a legally binding ERW instrument by the end of this year and attract all countries to sign the instrument as soon as possible. Mr. Chairman, The position of the Chinese delegation on the issue of mines other than anti-personnel landmines (also known as anti-vehicle landmines, AVL) has been unambiguous all along.  The use of AVL has caused humanitarian concerns to a certain extent.  In addressing this issue, we should strike a right balance between the humanitarian concerns and states' legitimate military needs and take into account the divergence among countries in terms of economic and technological capacity, so as to take on board more countries, especially the developing countries. We have carefully studied the draft proposal on a mandate of the GGE for 2004 on AVL by Minister Kolarov.  Frankly speaking, this draft proposal failed to reflect fully the concern of various countries on AVL. The Chinese delegation is of the view that we may explore effective ways to reduce the risks posed by the irresponsible use of AVL within the capacity of each individual country and on a voluntary basis.  To this end, we may refer to the approach on ERW.  That is to say, if conditions for certain issues are ripe, such as clearance, transfer, the use of AVL by non-state actors, and international cooperation and assistance, then we can start negotiations on such issues. We may also consider to develop voluntary best practices on sensitive fuses. With regard to the technical issues concerning detectability, self-destruction and self-deactivation, since many countries still have difficulty, we may continue our discussion on them. We have taken note of the Russian delegation's proposal on a possible mandate of the GGE for 2004 on AVL.  The Chinese delegation has no difficulty with this proposal and we support it. In a nutshell, the Chinese delegation is ready to continue to exchange views with all delegations on the issues of ERW and AVL, with a view to see progress during this session of the GGE meeting. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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Related News: Statement at the 2003 Session of United Nations Disarmament Commission by H.E. Ambassador Hu Xiaodi, Head of the Chinese Delegation (March 31 2003, New York)  (2004-04-16) Statement by Ambassador Hu Xiaodi, Head of the Chinese Delegation, at the Meeting of the States Parties to the CCW (27 November 2003, Geneva)  (2004-04-16) Statement by the Chinese Delegation to the 2nd PrepCom for 2005 NPT RevCon on Nuclear Disarmament and Reduction of the Danger of Nuclear War (30 April 2003, Geneva)  (2004-04-16) Statement by the Chinese Delegation to the 2nd PrepCom for 2005 NPT RevCon on Regional Issues (2 May 2003, Geneva)  (2004-04-16) Statement by the Chinese Delegation to the 2nd PrepCom for 2005 NPT RevCon on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons(5 May 2003, Geneva)  (2004-04-16) Statement by H.E. Ambassador Hu Xiaodi at the Closing Meeting of the 2nd Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2005 NPT Review Conference(May 9th, 2003, Geneva)  (2004-04-16) Statement by Mr. Hu Xiaodi, Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs of China, at the Plenary of the 2003 Session of the Conference on Disarmament (July 31, 2003, Geneva)  (2004-04-16) Statement by Mr. Hu Xiaodi, Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs of China, at the Plenary of the 2003 Session of the Conference on Disarmament (August 7, 2003, Geneva)  (2004-04-16)