China urges Japan to expedite the disposal of abandoned chemical weapons

China has emphasized the urgent need for Japan to accelerate the disposal process of Abandoned Chemical Weapons  (ACW) by Japan, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday during a daily press briefing.

Noting that the ACW in China by Japan is one of the serious crimes committed by Japan during its war of aggression against China and even now poses a serious threat to the lives and property of the Chinese people and to the safety of the ecological environment, Lin urged Japan to carry out the safe, clean and thorough destruction of such weapons at an early date, in accordance with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of Japan on the Destruction of the ACW in China.

He stressed that Japan must address China's concerns, implement the destruction plan comprehensively and accurately, and restore clean land to the Chinese people as soon as possible.

With China's assistance, Japan has excavated and recovered approximately 130,000 ACW and destroyed nearly 100,000 of them. However, Lin pointed out that the destruction process is still lagging due to insufficient and uneven input from Japan.

The destruction plan has missed deadlines four times, and unresolved key issues continue to hinder progress, he added.

Lin reiterated that it is Japan's historical, political, and legal responsibility to eliminate the harmful effects of ACW.

He strongly urged the Japanese side to take China's concerns seriously, fulfill its responsibilities effectively, increase investment on all fronts, make every effort to speed up the process of disposing of ACW, and implement the relevant destruction plan comprehensively, completely and accurately, so as to return clean land to the Chinese people at an early date.