There is still a long way to go in multilateral arms control and disarmament, says a white paper issued Thursday by China's Information Office of the State Council.

The process of nuclear disarmament has been long and arduous and the nuclear deterrence strategy based on the first use of nuclear weapons has yet to be abandoned, says the China's Endeavors for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.

It says the trend toward lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and developing new nuclear weapons is worrisome.

There has been greater danger of weaponization of and an arms race in outer space. The universality of international treaties on arms control is still inadequate and negative examples of scrapping important arms control treaties occur from time to time, it says.

The multilateral arms control and disarmament regime is faced with difficulty, according to the paper.

As the single multilateral disarmament negotiating body, the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva has for years been unable to carry out substantive work.

The international non-proliferation process is facing challenges, it says, adding that the prospect for settling regional nuclear issues is still blurry and the risks of terrorist organizations and other non-state entities acquiring weapons of mass destruction are growing.

The paper says that peace, development and cooperation have become the trend of the times in the current world.

World multi-polarization and economic globalization are developing in depth, and science and technology are advancing by leaps and bounds, it says.

Countries and regions have constantly strengthened their exchanges and cooperation as they are increasingly interdependent in security. World peace and development are facing rare opportunities as factors for maintaining peace and restraining war are increasing.

It has become the consensus of the international community to enhance cooperation and jointly meet global challenges, says the paper.

Source: Xinhua