Hua Chunying, Foreign Ministry spokesperson

BEIJING - China urges the United States to meet its due obligations and honor its commitment of suspending nuclear tests under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday.

China urges the US to meet its due obligations, honor its commitment of suspending nuclear tests and safeguard the Treaty's purposes and objectives, Hua said

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a press briefing in response to a recent announcement by the Group of Eminent Persons for the CTBT, expressing concern on discussions by US officials on the possibility of resuming nuclear tests and stressing that, if the US side does this, it would seriously undermine the global norm of "suspending nuclear tests" and damage the CTBT mechanism.

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The Group also called on all states to reaffirm their support for the treaty and take concrete measures to ensure that the treaty will go into force at an early date.

"China supports the Group of Eminent Persons' announcement," Hua said. "As an important pillar underpinning the international regime of nuclear arms control, the CTBT has established the nuclear test ban as an international norm."

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The treaty is of great significance in advancing nuclear disarmament, preventing nuclear proliferation, and safeguarding world peace and security, she added.

China urges the US to meet its due obligations, honor its commitment of suspending nuclear tests and safeguard the Treaty's purposes and objectives, Hua said.

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"We also hope the US will earnestly heed the appeal of the international community and do more things that are conducive to international nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation," Hua said.

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