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UNITED NATIONS, April 29-- China firmly opposes nuclear proliferation in whatever forms and participates in the political resolution of regional nuclear proliferation issues in a responsible manner, a Chinese envoy said on Monday. For decades China has shown maximum transparency with respect to its nuclear strategy, exercised great restraint in developing its nuclear force and taken extreme caution in its policy related to the use of nuclear weapons, Fu Cong, head of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). China has consistently adhered to a nuclear strategy of self-defense; it has strictly honored its commitment not to be the first to use nuclear weapons and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States and nuclear-weapon-free zones; it has kept its nuclear force at the minimal level required by national security, he said. As for the regional nuclear proliferation issues, the envoy said that China strives to maintain the momentum for dialogue and detente in the Korean Peninsula, and firmly supports the establishment of a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) in the Middle East and of the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, Fu said. The world today is undergoing major development, changes and adjustments, he said, adding that the call for peace and cooperation rather than war and confrontation has become the common voice of the international community. | 
