China urges Japan to speed up the process of dismantling chemical weapons left on Chinese soil and completely eliminate the danger they pose, Tan Kefei, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, said at a briefing on Thursday.
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Earlier, at the 101st session of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a plan for the elimination of chemical weapons left by Japan in China after 2022 was considered and approved.
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“China has always demanded that the Japanese side strictly implement the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the memoranda signed by the governments of China and Japan, and completely destroy the chemical weapons left in China as early as possible in a safe way,” said Tan Kefei, adding, that the liquidation process is now seriously behind schedule.
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According to him, the plan approved by the OPCW Executive Council demonstrates the increased attention and support of the international community regarding this issue.
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“The Chinese side urges Japan to fully implement the plan for the destruction of chemical weapons left behind in China after 2022, to actually fulfill its political and legal obligations to the international community and China, to increase investment in and accelerate this process, to eliminate the danger as soon as possible, which is a chemical weapon,” said Tan Kefei.
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During the Second World War, Japan left in China, mainly in the three northeastern provinces (Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang), 2 million tons of ammunition, including chemical ones.
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In 1999, an agreement was signed between the PRC and Japan, according to which Tokyo undertook to take out at its own expense all weapons left in China by June 2007. Later, at the request of the Japanese government, this period was extended, since Japan was unable to meet the period specified by the convention.
