China ratifies nuclear-weapon-free Central Asia protocol

Source: Xinhua

China has ratified a protocol to the Treaty on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) in Central Asia and will soon hand the ratification paper to Kyrgyzstan through diplomatic channels, a spokesman said.

"China's top legislature ratified the protocol in April and President Xi Jinping signed the ratification paper recently," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Wednesday at a daily news briefing.

The treaty which came into force in 2009, commits its signatories -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- to refrain from developing, acquiring or possessing nuclear weapons.

In May, 2014, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States signed a protocol with the five countries at UN headquarters pledging not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices against any party to the treaty.

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China is willing to work with all parties to completely prohibit and destroy nuclear weapons, the spokesman added.


Read more: http://www.ecns.cn/2015/06-25/170568.shtml