The Deputy Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Mr John Gee, paid an official visit to the People’s Republic of China from 3-13 September at the invitation of the Chinese Government. During his visit, Mr Gee met with the Chinese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Yang Jiechi, and the Administrator of the State Administration of the Petroleum and Chemical Industries, Mr Li Yongwu.
Other main features of the visit included meetings with senior officials from the national and regional administrations responsible for the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in China, the delivery of a keynote speech to the Beijing Regional Seminar (organised jointly by the Chinese Government and the OPCW), and an address to Beijing University. Mr Gee also visited a number of the facilities involved in the implementation of the Convention in China.
During his meetings with the Vice-Minister and with senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Mr Gee discussed the issue of chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Japanese forces during World War II and the problems that they pose. He visited the trust warehouse for abandoned chemical weapons (ACW) in Nanjing and observed the measures being taken by China to store the munitions in a safe and secure manner until they can be destroyed by Japan. Other important matters raised with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs included the issue of attracting wider adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, in particular in the Asian region, the Middle East and Africa. China has been instrumental in addressing some of the more difficult questions related to attracting broad adherence to the treaty. So far, 136 States Parties have adopted the CWC and more are likely to do so in the coming days.
In addition to his meeting with Administrator Li, Mr Gee also had useful talks with regional officials in Chongqing, Wuhan and Shanghai on the implementation of the CWC in relation to the chemical industry in China. These discussions were supplemented by visits to two chemical plants in Chongqing and Shanghai.
While in Beijing, Mr Gee addressed Beijing University on the subject of the CWC, multilateral disarmament and North East Asia. He also gave one of the keynote speeches to the highly-successful Regional Seminar held by the OPCW in co-operation with the Chinese Government in Beijing from 4-8 September. Participants from over 20 States Parties, plus several from signatory States, attended the seminar to discuss the current issues and challenges of the CWC and the role of National Authorities.
At a media briefing held at the end of the visit, Mr Gee said that he was impressed with the level of Chinese implementation of the Convention, particularly in relation to industry verification. He said that some technical problems remained in relation to verification of ACW, but he expected that they would be resolved soon. He also noted the positive and constructive atmosphere of the discussions held with Chinese officials.
24/2000