Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian

China has consistently urged Japan to fully and thoroughly destroy the chemical weapons it abandoned in China at an early date, in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention and the memorandum between the Chinese and Japanese governments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday when asked to comment on the fact that Japan was originally required to complete the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons in China by 2007, but the process has been repeatedly delayed. 

The question also mentioned that Wednesday marks the 29th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention, and that Fernando Arias, the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), once said that "the destruction of old chemical weapons (OCWs) and ACWs is an indispensable component for a world free of chemical weapons."

Lin noted that the chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China are among the grave crimes committed by Japanese militarism during its war of aggression against China, and that to this day they continue to endanger the lives and property of the Chinese people as well as ecological safety. The complete destruction of these weapons is an international obligation Japan must fulfill.

"Eliminating the toxic legacy of these abandoned chemical weapons is a responsibility Japan cannot shirk. We once again urge Japan to face squarely its historical and practical responsibilities, fulfill its obligations under the Convention, provide further information on burial sites, increase input, and accelerate the disposal process, so as to return clean land to the Chinese people and remove the biggest practical obstacle to achieving a 'world free of chemical weapons,'" Lin said.

Global Times