Peace action-some facts about China's active participation in humanitarian mine clearance operations

　　On April 26-29, the "Humanitarian Mine/UXO Clearance Technology and Cooperation Workshop" was held in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. This is the first time for China to host an international mine clearance conference, which symbolizes that China has opened a brand new page in the international humanitarian minesweeping operations. Getting rid of mines troubles and enabling thousands of refugees to go back to their homes have become one of the pressing tasks facing the international community today.

　　The Chinese government has always attached importance to getting rid of mine troubles, and stressed that in the course of getting ride of mine troubles, due consideration should be given to both humanitarian concern and the need for rightful self-defense of sovereign states.

　　On August 29, 1998, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress approved the revised "Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices" of the "Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects". On October 12 of the same year, the then President Jiang Zemin signed an instrument for the ratification of the protocol.

　　The reporter learned that since the day when the revised "Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices" was approved by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China has stopped the production and export of anti-personnel mines which don't comply with the technical specifications of the protocol. In addition the departments concerned have made plans to modify or dispose of those antipersonnel mines, which don't comply with the technical specifications of the protocol. In recent years, China has destroyed over 1.7 million various outdated antipersonnel mines. Military academies of the whole army have revised over 20 different teaching materials and teaching standards related to antipersonnel mines so as to provide new teaching materials and teaching standards for training and operational purpose.