UN General Assembly
1987

It is the universal demand of the world's people and the consistent stand of the Chinese Government to stop the arms race and to remove regional conflicts. Effective disarmament constitutes an important link in the efforts to ease international tension and to maintain world peace. Since the resumption of the Geneva arms control talks between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1985, we have all along hoped that they would, through serious negotiations, reach agreements conducive to world peace and not detrimental to the rights and interests of other countries. Now there has been progress in their intermediate nuclear forces (INF) talks. The two sides have reached agreement in principle to adopt the global "double-zero option" on long range intermediate nuclear forces and short range intermediate nuclear forces. We hold that dialogue is better than confrontation, and relaxation better than tension. World peace is indivisible, and European security and Asian security are equally important. If the United States and the Soviet Union could formally conclude an INF treaty and implement it by thoroughly destroying all their long-range intermediate nuclear missiles and short-range intermediate nuclear missiles deployed in Europe and Asia, that would be a first step towards nuclear arms reduction and would undoubtedly be welcomed.