China to Attend NPT Conference in New York in August

BEIJING (Sputnik) - A group of Chinese delegates will take part in the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) slated for August 1-26, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday.

"An official of the Department of Arms Control of the Foreign Ministry will lead the delegation that will take part in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conference," Zhao told a briefing.

The spokesman stressed that the global nuclear non-proliferation regime is now facing "daunting challenges."

The UN headquarters in New York will host the Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT on August 1-26, two years behind the schedule due to the pandemic. The conference, held every five years, is the principal event advancing the nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament agenda.

The NPT is a landmark international treaty concluded to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote cooperation for peaceful use of nuclear energy by furthering the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament. The document recognized China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) as nuclear weapon states, which vowed not to transfer nuclear weapons to non-nuclear nations, or assist, encourage or induce them to acquire them. Similarly, other parties to the agreement pledged not to receive or manufacture such weapons.