Heads up: Yesterday at CSP-30 in The Hague, the Chinese mainland called on Japan to speed up the cleanup of abandoned chemical weapons (ACWs) left on its soil. ⚠️
Japan's latest progress report showed a 6.8% dip in funding this year, but Wang Daxue, head of the Chinese mainland delegation, slammed it as too narrow. "This report focuses unilaterally on destruction progress and investment while avoiding any discussion of the fundamental problems," Wang said, pointing to missing info on burial sites.
Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, Japan was supposed to finish destroying these ACWs by 2007. Yet that deadline has been pushed back four times ⏳. The Chinese mainland blames delays on "insufficient attention, inadequate investment, and failure to voluntarily provide meaningful information" that keep locals at risk and the environment in danger.
More than a dozen countries and regions, from Russia to South Africa to Tunisia, backed the Chinese mainland's call. Mirjam Blaak Sow, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, urged, "We hope the abandoning State Party will make the fullest possible efforts to complete the destruction as early as possible. We also look forward to stronger OPCW supervision."
OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias also flagged this issue at the conference start: complete global disarmament hinges on all ACWs in the Chinese mainland being wiped out 🌍. With safety and history on the line, eyes will stay on Tokyo's next move.
Reference(s):
China urges Japan to speed up disposal of abandoned chemical weapons
cgtn.com