BEIJING, July 23. /TASS/. China intends to play an active role to boost the credibility and versatility of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said.
"As a basis, the Chinese side will be guided by the [concept] of building a human community of shared future, which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping," she said, commenting on the ongoing session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference.
"China will be committed to the concept of general, universal, shared and sustainable security. Along with all interested parties, China will play active and constructive role to boost the versatility, credibility and efficiency of the NTP, promote peace, security and development across the globe through consolidated efforts," she said.
The NPT is a "cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime" and a "major pillar of the system of global security and development management," the Chinese diplomat stressed.
"China is a member state of this treaty," she noted. "China has always been defending its goals and objectives. It has always been committed to its liabilities."
The second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference is being held in Geneva from July 22 through August 2. The Review Conference will be held in New York in 2026.
The Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was signed in 1968 and came into force in 1970. It legalized the nuclear arsenals of the five its signatories, namely the United Kingdom, China, the former Soviet Union, the United States, and France, and their status of nuclear powers. These countries committed themselves not to transfer "nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices" and "not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce" a non-nuclear weapon state (NNWS) to acquire nuclear weapons. The treaty, however, infringe on their rights to carry out research, generate and use nuclear energy in peaceful purposes. In 1995, the treaty, which originally was signed for a term of 25 years, was extended indefinitely. Today, the treaty has 191 signatories. North Korea withdrew from it in 2003, while India, Pakistan, and Israel have never joined it.