‘The Ninth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) saw China’s in-depth participation and utmost effort to facilitate the adoption of its outcome document,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing on December 19. “China proposed establishing a verification mechanism to ensure BWC compliance, promoting the peaceful use of biotech, and making biotech more inclusive. These proposals reflect the common will shared broadly by states parties, especially developing countries.”
The BWC, which went into effect on March 26, 1975, was the first multilateral arms control agreement to outlaw the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and chemical weapons. As a convention of unlimited duration, the BWC had 184
