China raised the bar at this week’s OPCW session in The Hague, calling on Japan to accelerate the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons (ACWs) on the Chinese mainland, after repeated delays pushed back a 2007 deadline four times. ⏳
At the 30th Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, Japan shared its 2025 ACW disposal progress report, noting a 6.8% drop in spending compared with last year. But China’s delegation head, Wang Daxue, wasn’t impressed: "This report focuses unilaterally on destruction progress and investment while avoiding any discussion of the fundamental problems."
Under the Convention, Japan should have completed ACW destruction by 2007, but postponed the deadline four times due to "insufficient attention, inadequate investment, and failure to voluntarily provide meaningful information" about burial sites, Wang stressed. 🚧
Many delegations, including Russia, South Africa and Tunisia, echoed China’s call for faster action. Speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, Mirjam Blaak Sow of Uganda warned that progress has been "less than expected," urging Japan to wrap up destruction "as early as possible" under stronger OPCW supervision. 🌍💡
OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias opened the conference by reminding member states that global chemical disarmament can’t be complete until all ACWs abandoned on the Chinese mainland are destroyed. A timely reminder that even old challenges deserve fresh momentum! 🚀
For young news enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and globe-trotting students, this showdown at The Hague highlights how past legacies and modern diplomacy collide—and why keeping global security on track matters to us all. Stay tuned for more updates! 🌟
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China urges Japan to speed up disposal of abandoned chemical weapons
cgtn.com
