Japan urged to thoroughly destroy its chemical weapons abandoned in China: spokesperson

BEIJING -- A delegation from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has urged Japan to completely and thoroughly destroy its abandoned chemical weapons (ACWs) in China without further delay, according to the Chinese foreign ministry on Monday.

The director-general of the OPCW, the chairperson of the Executive Council, as well as permanent representatives and senior diplomats from 12 countries to the OPCW, visited China upon invitation from Aug 31 to Sept 5, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the ministry, said at a press briefing.

During the visit, they travelled to Hunchun, Dunhua and Haerbaling in Jilin province in Northeast China to inspect the excavation, recovery and destruction of Japan's ACWs.

Noting that the delegation's visit coincided with China's annual commemoration of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Mao said Japan's militarist aggression inflicted immense humanitarian catastrophes on China and left behind the menace of ACWs.

Through the visit, the delegation gained a deeper understanding of the grave harm posed by Japan's ACWs to the lives and property of the Chinese people and to the country's ecological environment, Mao said.

They also expressed support for the OPCW, in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, in urging the Japanese side to earnestly fulfill its obligations by completely and thoroughly destroying its ACWs in China without further delay, so as to restore a safe habitat for the Chinese people at an early date and realize the noble goal of a world free of chemical weapons as envisaged by the Convention, she said.