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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China, Russia ask UN to check biological warfare strength of US and allies

  • Scientific and tech advances raise the risk of biological agents being used as weapons, their joint statement says
  • Chinese envoy urges US to agree to a monitoring mechanism, continuing the finger-pointing after the nations traded barbs over the coronavirus’ origins

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The joint statement was read by Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN. Photo: Xinhua
Kinling Lo
China and Russia have jointly called for the US to abide by a United Nations convention on biological weapons, as the powers continue to accuse each other of ramping up their military strength and threatening global safety.
The focus on biological weapons has intensified as Beijing and Washington have traded claims that the coronavirus’ origin could be linked to each other’s research in that field – accusations that have been largely rejected by scientists and denied by both governments.

The call was made on Thursday at an arms control committee discussion of the UN’s Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BWC).

It comes as China and Russia, each of which has rocky relations with Washington and its allies, have been stepping up military cooperation.

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In a joint statement, the Chinese and Russian foreign ministers called for the abilities of the United States and its allies to be checked and limited, arguing that “in light of rapid advances in the field of science and technology with dual-use capabilities, the risk of biological agents being used as weapons has increased”.

“In this context [China and Russia] would like to call for attention that the United States’ and its allies’ overseas military biological activities (over 200 US biological laboratories are deployed outside its national territory, which function in an opaque and non-transparent manner) cause serious concerns and questions among the international community over its compliance with the BWC,” the joint statement said.

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