A group of 122mm vehicle-mounted howitzers attached to a brigade under the PLA 77th Group Army drive to the firing point prior to a live-fire operation in northwestern China's Gobi Desert in late July, 2020.Photo:China Military

China attended the Seventh Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, which is China's first participation in the conference as a State Party to the ATT.

At the conference, China urged the establishment of a fair international order of arms trade and a global effort to combat the illicit transfer of arms. 

Li Song, China's ambassador for disarmament affairs, highlighted three principles for China's arms export policies at the conference - policies that are conducive to the legitimate self-defense capability of the recipient country, that will not undermine security and stability of the region concerned and the world, and will not interfere in the internal affairs of the recipient country.

China has always been concerned about the humanitarian problems caused by conventional weapons, and the country supports the international community to take all necessary measures to regulate the international arms trade and to combat illicit arms transfer, Li said. 

He pointed out that the geopolitical tensions and turbulence are still escalating in some regions, terrorism is yet to be eradicated, and the risks of illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms are still on the rise.

The ambassador reaffirmed China's propositions of improving the universality and effectiveness of the ATT, of upholding multilateralism under the UN's central role in conventional arms control, and of strengthening the sense of responsibility in arms trade.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, deposited China's instrument of accession to the ATT in New York in July 2020. China officially became the 107th State Party to the ATT in October 2020. 

The five biggest global arms exporter between 2016 and 2020 were the US, Russia, France, Germany and China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, with the US and China accounting for 37 percent and 5.2 percent of global major arms exports.