Chinese Abstracts:

Can BMD Really Enhance Security?

Ambassador Sha Zukang

In his opening remarks, Sha Zukang stated that China is opposed to the US plan to develop and deploy missile defense systems for three reasons. First, the US development of NMD systems violates the ABM Treaty and thus is detrimental to global security. Second, US-Japan joint development of TMD will make the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region unpredictable, as the bilateral cooperation could become a stepping stone for Japan’s return to the track of militarism. Finally and most importantly, the US decision to include Taiwan in TMD will lead to a de facto "para-military alliance" between the United States and Taiwan and will complicate the Taiwan question and render the security situation more unpredictable. Sha warned that China would reconsider its cooperation with the United States on arms control and nonproliferation if the United States igores China's security concerns and provides TMD and other state-of-the-art weapons to Taiwan. He concludes that if China and the United States can build a constructive partnership oriented towards the 21^st century, the world will be more peaceful and prosperous in the next century.

Ambassador Sha Zukang is Director-General of the Department of Arms Control and Disarmament of China’s Foreign Ministry. Previously, he was China’s  ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament.

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