Extracts. >China Warns Against Efforts to Violate ABM Treaty > >China said Tuesday that the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), the widely >accepted cornerstone of global strategic stability, should be strictly >observed. > >The statement was made by Hu Xiaodi, the Chinese ambassador on disarmament, >when he was speaking to the general debate of the First Committee of the 55th >General Assembly session, which began here Monday. The First Committee is in >charge of disarmament and international security. > >"This treaty has direct bearings on the security interest of all countries, >and should be strictly observed," Hu said. > >"Any move in violation of the ABM treaty, whatever disguise it takes, will >undermine global strategic balance and stability, jeopardize trust between >states, and produce far-reaching negative impacts on international peace, >security and multilateral disarmament and arms control process," he said. > >The ABM treaty, signed by the United States and the former Soviet Union in >1972, constitutes a cornerstone of global strategic stability, and goes far >beyond the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship in its significance. > >The General Assembly session last year adopted a resolution, titled >"Preservation of and Compliance with the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty," >mirroring the hope of most countries in the world to maintain global strategic >balance and stability. > >Most countries in the world "wish to keep intact the efforts and achievements >in the field of arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation since the end >of the Cold War," he said. "They are reluctant to see the trust and >cooperation between states being jeopardized by the national missile defense >system (NMD)." > >The United States is actively engaged in developing the missile defense system >in order to seek its own absolute security superiority at the expense of the >security of other member states. > >U.S. President Bill Clinton made a decision recently not to deploy a national >missile defense system for the time being. However, the decision itself does >not necessarily mean that Washington will give up the system. > >"We think this is a wise decision," he said. "Meanwhile, we have also noticed >that the NMD program has not yet been given up, and the research and >development of this system is now still intensifying." > >"As an important forum for international security and disarmament, the UNGA >(U.N. General Assembly) First Committee should pay serious attention to this >issue," he said. > >At the current GA session, China will join Russia, Belarus and other countries >in submitting a draft resolution on ABM treaty for the second time, he said. >They submitted the draft last year and managed to have it adopted. > >"We expect more countries to support this draft resolution, so as to >contribute to the maintenance of global strategic balance and stability in a >spirit of sincerity and cooperation," he said. > >"We also hope that the United States will heed the appeals of the >international community, consult other countries on this issue, and drop the >NMD program as soon as possible." >China Focuses on: Harmonious Mankind-Nature Relations >China has set up a relatively sound management and legal system for >environmental protection since it adopted the sustainable development strategy >as the State strategy in 1996. > >An official at the State Development Planning Commission told Xinhua that >these efforts has created necessary conditions for balanced economic and >environmental development in the long run. > >Rule of law was high on the agenda. By now, China enacted six laws on >environmental protection, nine laws on natural resources management, more than >30 administrative regulations on environmental protection and resources >management, another 30 laws and regulations concerning sustainable >development, and issued more standards and local regulations in this effort, >the official said. > >The strategy to develop the western parts, to return farmland to forests, >bioagriculture, and to impose seasonal fishing bans are all the latest efforts >the government has made to promote its sustainable development strategy. > >According to the strategy, the government will focus on raising people's >living standard, guaranteeing the peaceful coexistence of man and the nature, >man and the environment, as well as sustainable, rapid and healthy economic >development, in order that people can use the natural resources and protect >the environment for good. > >Years of hard effort has basically brought China's worsening environmental >pollution under control, with environment quality in some cities and regions >improving to some extent, the official said, adding that the strategy has won >widespread support from the public. > >Statistics showed that the total investment in pollution treatment in 1999 >amounted to 82.3 billion yuan, accounting for 1 percent of China's gross >domestic product, ever in history, according to the official. > >With environment improving in urban areas, the government turned to rural >areas. It has opened more than 2,000 bioagricultural pilots across the >country, covering 13.7 percent of China's farmland. >Catholics Across China Join to Slam Vatican >Chinese Catholics in six provinces and municipalities all joined to criticize >the Vatican's "canonization", saying that they support the condemnation of the >Vatican by the Chinese Government and the Chinese Catholic Church. > >Catholics in Beijing, Shanghai and Hebei, Shanxi, Fujian and Guizhou provinces >respectively held symposiums today, voicing their indignation over the >Vatican's act to distort history and intervene in China's internal affairs >through religious activities. > >At the symposium held in Shanghai, Bishop Jin Luxian said that Catholics >should firmly stand by the government and the people in issues of state >sovereignty, national dignity and religious future. As the Vatican's >"canonization" was actually manipulated by the so-called "Taiwan Catholic >Bishops College", the "canonization" reveals that while catering to the Taiwan >authority, the Holy See intended to split China. Therefore, the "Canonization" >seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and it is also a severe >provocation to the Chinese nation. > >At other similar symposiums, Bishops, priests, nuns and converts pointed out >that infamous foreign missionaries such as Auguste Chapdelaine, Franciscus de >Capillas and Albericus Crescitelli had only themselves to blame because they >had stopped no evil and are still being hated by people. They also said the >Vatican's "canonization" for political purpose violates its own traditional >canonization procedures, thus it is a desecration to Catholics. > >The Catholics also called upon the Holy See to repent for its wrong-doing and >to not set barriers to China-Vatican relations. > >The Catholics all agreed that they will stick to patriotism and the religious >policy of independence and self-management, stressing that patriotism is the >order from God and nothing is capable of shaking the love and loyalty of >Catholics to the motherland. > >According to religious resources, Catholics and other religious people across >the country will hold similar symposiums to voice their condemnation of the >"canonization". _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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