China calls for multilateralism in prohibition of chemical weapons

China has appealed to all states parties of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to advance true multilateralism and enhance solidarity and cooperation.

"In recent years, under the influence of geopolitics, the OPCW has witnessed a growing tendency toward politicization and division, which is challenging the tradition of decision-making by consensus," Wang Daxue, a senior Chinese diplomat, said at a side event hosted by the Chinese delegation to the 30th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP-30), which opened here on Monday.

"Constructive dialogue and communication among the States Parties is diminishing, and calling for a vote is increasingly defaulted to," said Wang, deputy director general of the arms control department in China's Foreign Affairs Ministry and also head of the Chinese delegation.

In a position paper, China proposed four initiatives, including adhering to the object and purpose of the Chemical Weapons Convention, upholding multilateralism, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and enhancing solidarity and coordination.

"China calls for maintaining the technical attributes of the OPCW, and avoiding the politicization of its work," said Lyu Xiaodong, deputy permanent representative of China's mission to the OPCW.

Representatives from Brazil, Uganda, Venezuela, Russia, Qatar, Mongolia, and other countries voiced their support for China's initiatives.

"The OPCW should continue to make decisions by consensus. But at the same time, the divisions that we face in the world have led us to a different kind of reality where consensus has not been easy," Uganda's permanent representative to the OPCW Mirjam Blaak Sow told the audience.