China Hosts Landmine & Unexploded Ordnance Workshop

(Thursday 29 April 2004 Kunming, China) China hosted a first-ever workshop on landmines and UXO in Kunming (Yunnan Province) 26-28 April. The workshop was co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the Australian Network of the ICBL, & the China Arms Control & Disarmament Association (CACDA).

Participants included representatives of Afghanistan, Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Eritrea, France, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, U.S., Vietnam, GICHD, HI, ICBL and Landmine Monitor, MAG, UNICEF, UNMAS & UNDP.

Participants at the Conference. Photo: Chinese MFA

A statement by a senior Chinese representative noted that the ICBL had played a "unique role" and qualified NGOs such as the ICBL as "Motivated by their passion for and commitment to the humanitarian cause and despite all the hardship and danger, the NGOs have made unremitting efforts to eliminate landmine threats to civilians, winning respect from the international community."

In the same statement, Mr Liu Jieyi said that "[these] "hidden killers" constantly pose threats to the lives and property of the local civilians, depriving them of a normal life. In recent years, the security situation in China has gradually improved, and (...) [this] creates a good security environment for solving the landmine problems"; he added that China had "basically cleared all the landmines on its territory."

In another statement, the Chinese delegation said that the "Chinese Government always attaches great importance to humanitarian issues and human security" that it had allocated "nearly 5 million US dollars" for international demining assistance and that "we should explore new patterns of cooperation." During the closing session, in response to a question from Landmine Monitor researcher Yukie Osa, Fu Cong (China) indicated that human security belonged to a guiding principle of the new Chinese leadership: "people first."

In a written statement, Amb. Li Daoyu, President of CACDA and former Chinese Ambassador to the UN, said: "As kind of defensive weapons, landmines have been occasionally misused for a long time, posing threats to civilians' lives and property, thus arousing humanitarian concerns and becoming a hot issue in the field of arms control and disarmament. We hold that in addition to banning and limiting the use of landmines and preventing the emergence of new mine threats, the more urgent task facing us at present is to clear the existing the existing landmines and UXOs." He added that "CACDA is an important nation-wide non-governmental organisation in China" and that it "would like to work together with other non-governmental organizations, to play a significant role in the field of international humanitarian mine clearance cooperation and to contribute to the well-being and tranquility of mankind."

Other highlights included:

• David Johnson (ICBL Australia) in his opening speech: "About 90 million years ago, Australia broke away from Antartica, and is now moving northward, towards Asia, at a rate of 67 mm per year."
• Denise Coghlan (ICBL) during a session on mine clearance technologies and experiences: "The ICBL hopes that China will come to [the Nairobi] summit, and dreams that it will come as a State Party. In the city of eternal spring, hope springs eternal." She then told the story of three Cambodian survivors.
• Ambassador Hynes of Canada supported ICBL's call for ratification of the Mine Ban Treaty and described adherence to the treaty as a "major consideration for funding." He encouraged non States Parties to consider preliminary steps such as a moratorium or the destruction of stockpiles.

A Chairs' Summary was prepared by David Johnson (Australian Network of the ICBL) and Fu Cong (Deputy Director General, Department of Arms Control & Disarmament, MFA, China), it was then discussed with all participants and distributed. A CD-Rom including most presentations was also provided to participants during the closing session.

On 29 April, the Chinese Ministry of Defense presented its demining technology & equipment, as well as its achievements in China and abroad. Afterwards, Yukie Osa and Denise Coghlan visited the Chinese Disabled People Federation (CDPF) of Yunnan Province on behalf of Landmine Monitor. Their interpretor was a teacher for disabled youth and they were taken to visit her school. No official data of landmine casualties is available.