The Cold War mentality remains the biggest threat to the world's peace and stability and China calls for mutual trust and collaboration among major countries, as they are the cornerstone for ensuring international security and stability, a Chinese ambassador said on Monday.

Li Song, ambassador for Disarmament Affairs of China, was speaking during the general debate of the First Committee of the 77th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on all disarmament and international security agenda items.

Li said the global security structure, as well as international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms, are facing the severest challenge since the end of the Cold War.

Certain countries, driven by the Cold War mentality, have continuously instigated competition and confrontation among major countries, strengthened their military blocs, and deliberately provoked and aggravated disagreements, he said, adding that such policies have been seriously undermining mutual trust among major countries, endangering global strategic balance and stability, and impeding the international arms control and disarmament process.

The Global Security Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, seeks to promote the establishment of a balanced, effective and sustainable security structure, advocates a win-win mindset to address complex and intertwined security challenges, and champions the spirit of solidarity to adapt to the evolving international landscape, Li said.

It offers China's solution to eliminating the root causes of international conflicts and achieving durable stability and lasting security in the world, he added.

Li said nuclear-weapon states must abandon concepts of strategic competition and bloc confrontation, halt any pursuit of exclusive or absolute security, and stop putting their own security above that of others. 

"We should dedicate ourselves to dialogues and cooperation, so as to rebuild strategic mutual trust," he stressed.

Noting that a joint statement issued in January by leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states holds far-reaching significance of preventing nuclear war and avoiding arms races, Li urged the five nuclear-weapon states to further strengthen communication and collaboration and jointly uphold global strategic balance and stability. 

Still, China hopes that all nuclear-weapon states respond positively to the repeated call from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and China to adopt the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons.

The cause of diminishing mutual trust and growing conflicts between countries is not that the purpose and principle of the UN Charter has become obsolete, Li said, it is because the Charter has been impaired by the so-called rules-based international order.

China urges all UN member states to practice real multilateralism and firmly defend the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, he added.

Noting that the trilateral cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines between the U.S., the UK and Australia runs counter to the objective and purpose of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Li said China calls on all members of the international community, especially the International Atomic Energy Agency member states, to pay high attention to this issue, conduct thorough discussions and handle the issue with prudence, so as to preserve the integrity and effectiveness of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.

In addition, Li called on the U.S. to stop the development or deployment of regional or global missile defense systems, refrain from deploying land-based intermediate range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, and must not duplicate the nuclear sharing arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region.

(Cover: Li Song, Chinese ambassador for disarmament affairs, addresses the First Committee of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, U.S., October 10, 2022. /Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the UN)