China’s State Council Information Office has unveiled a comprehensive white paper titled “China’s Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation in the New Era,” marking the country’s first major policy publication on the subject in two decades and its third since 1995. The document provides an updated overview of China’s policies, priorities, and strategic vision for global arms control, including governance in emerging domains such as outer space, cyberspace, and artificial intelligence.
Released at a time when the world reflects on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations, the white paper warns that although memories of past conflicts are fading, the threat of new wars is growing. It notes that the postwar security framework is under significant strain, with long-standing arms control and nonproliferation arrangements increasingly undermined. Against this backdrop, China positions the new document as a timely intervention to help stabilize global security dynamics.
The white paper reviews two decades of China’s diplomatic engagement and policy evolution on arms control, with emphasis on developments since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. It outlines Beijing’s efforts to advance international security cooperation, promote dialogue, and defend the global nonproliferation architecture. Compared to earlier versions, the document highlights three notable areas of advancement.
The first introduces a set of new guiding concepts for China’s arms control diplomacy, centered on justice, cooperation, balance, and effectiveness. According to the white paper, “justice” entails defending the principles of the UN Charter and opposing coercive or unilateral approaches. “Cooperation” underscores the importance of multilateral engagement and diplomatic solutions over sanctions or force. The “balance” principle calls for addressing both traditional and emerging security threats while ensuring developing countries retain the right to peaceful technological advancement. “Effectiveness,” the paper notes, requires practical, consensus-driven progress within established international mechanisms, especially the United Nations.
The second major update concerns new security frontiers. Acknowledging rapid advancements in space technology, cyber capabilities, and artificial intelligence, the white paper calls for an inclusive global governance framework for emerging security domains. It emphasises that the UN should play a central coordinating role and insists on greater representation for developing countries in shaping new international rules.
The third feature highlights recent measures China has taken to modernize its arms control contributions. These include China’s 2024 proposal urging nuclear-weapon states to adopt a mutual no-first-use commitment, and the 2021 development of the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines, which have since gained international endorsement for promoting responsible scientific conduct. China also reaffirmed its push for balanced global access to peaceful technologies, having supported multiple UN resolutions that promote cooperation on the peaceful uses of science and technology.
Framed against mounting global security challenges, the white paper reasserts China’s self-declared role as a promoter of global peace and a defender of the multilateral order. It argues that China’s growth contributes positively to international security efforts and strengthens collective attempts to reduce the risks of conflict worldwide.
The author of the analysis is the director of the Arms Control Studies Center at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
