‘Cold War mentality biggest threat to global stability’

NEW YORK: The Cold War has been over for more than 30 years, but the Cold War mentality remains the biggest threat to peace and stability of the world, Li Song, the Chinese ambassador for disarmament affairs, said.

At the moment, the global security structure, as well as international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms, are facing the severest challenge since the end of the Cold War, Li said at the general debate of the First Committee of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly on Monday.

Certain countries, driven by Cold War mentality, have continuously instigated competition and confrontation among major countries, strengthened their military blocs, and deliberately provoked and aggravated disagreements, he said.

“Such policies have been seriously undermining mutual trusts among major countries, endangering global strategic balance and stability, and impeding the international arms control and disarmament process,” Li added.

Elaborating China’s positions and proposals, the envoy said major countries, nuclear-weapon states in particular, must abandon concepts of strategic competition and bloc confrontation, halt any pursuit of exclusive or absolute security, and stop putting their own security above that of others.

In January this year, leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states issued a joint statement, stressing that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, and reaffirming that none of their nuclear weapons are targeted at each other.This historic statement is of great and far-reaching significance to preventing nuclear war and avoiding arms races, Li said. — Xinhua