China urges global action to strengthen Biological Weapons Convention on 50th anniversary: spokesman

China has called on all states parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) to take concrete actions to jointly uphold the authority of the convention and strengthen the global biosafety and biosecurity governance system.

This announcement was made by Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun during a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the BWC's entry into force.

Guo highlighted the global significance of the BWC and China's commitment to enhancing global governance in biosafety and biosecurity.

"The Biological Weapons Convention establishes international legal obligations to eliminate the threat of biological weapons, reduce biosecurity risks, and promote the peaceful use of biotechnology. It plays an important role in maintaining peace and security for all humanity and in promoting development and prosperity," said Guo.

"President Xi Jinping has proposed a Global Security Initiative, advocating for countries to work together to address global issues such as biosecurity. In recent years, China has put forward a series of proposals to promote the establishment of a verification mechanism for the convention, prevent and eliminate violations, and actively promote responsible biological research. China also encourages multilateral and bilateral exchanges and cooperation, supporting developing countries to fully participate in global biosecurity governance and benefit from biotechnology development. China calls on all signatories to take practical actions, fulfill their obligations earnestly, uphold the authority of the Biological Weapons Convention, and continuously improve the biosafety and biosecurity governance system," said Guo.

"China calls on all contracting parties to take practical actions, fulfill their obligations earnestly, uphold the authority of the Biological Weapons Convention, and continuously improve the biosafety and biosecurity governance system," said the spokesman.

China urges global action to strengthen Biological Weapons Convention on 50th anniversary: spokesman

A 28-member press delegation from 19 countries, joined by Chinese state media, has embarked on a week-long tour in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, gaining first-hand insight into a region that also serves as a core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

The journey began Friday in Turpan. The first stop was a massive "photovoltaic plus solar-thermal" hybrid project featuring over 20,000 heliostat mirrors, a breathtaking sight that drew admiration from the visitors.

"Obviously, solar energy is used all over the world, but in the way I've seen it here and it was explained to me here, I haven't seen it before, especially since apparently like two different techniques are being combined to produce green energy for China. It's cool," said Stefan Zanev, freelancer for Bavarian Broadcasting.

The delegation also stopped at a Uygur hospital's sand-therapy center, where reporters sampled herbal teas and experienced heated sand treatments.

In the coming days, the group will travel to Hotan and Urumqi to observe the daily lives and work of local communities.

Int'l press delegation visits Xinjiang