China Hosts Visit by Security Council’s 1540 Committee, 23 to 24 October

NEW YORK, 24 October (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — The Chair of the Security Council’s 1540 Committee, Ambassador Oh Joon, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, led a two-day visit to China that took place on 23 and 24 October at the invitation of the Government.

Other participants in the visit included a 1540 Committee member, Ali Mahamat Zene, from the Permanent Mission of Chad to the United Nations, and three members of the Group of Experts supporting the Committee’s work.

The objectives of the visit were to discuss issues related to the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) and future steps by China in this regard, including the submission of additional information and the option of a voluntary national implementation action plan, and to provide effective practices on its implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).  In addition, the team discussed continued cooperation with the Government of China to assure further efforts in strengthening the implementation and the possible contribution from the Government of China to address 1540 assistance requests, especially from within the Asia region.

In Beijing, the delegation met with Li Baodong, Deputy Foreign Minister, and held working sessions with the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs and other national stakeholders involved in the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).  A separate session also focused on dialogues with academia and industry.

The delegation visited the Dongjiang Free Trade Port Zone at Tianjin New Port, where it observed the customs monitoring operation and exchanged views with officials from the Port’s customs officials.

Resolution 1540 (2004) was adopted unanimously by the Security Council, under the United Nations Charter’s Chapter VII, on 28 April 2004.  It obliges all States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors attempting to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.  The resolution also requires all States to establish domestic controls to prevent the proliferation of those weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, including by establishing appropriate controls over related materials.

The 1540 Committee, a subsidiary body of the Council, reports to it on implementation of the resolution.  On 20 April 2011, the Security Council adopted resolution 1977 (2011), by which it extended the Committee’s mandate until 2021.

For additional information about the 1540 Committee, please visit the website http://www.un.org/sc/1540/.