Source: Peking Review No. 32, p. 7, August 9, 1963
*Presenting the proposal contained in the Chinese government statement of July 31 for a conference of the government heads of all countries of the world to discuss the question of complete, thorough, total and resolute prohibition and destruction of nuclear weapons.
*Expressing the hope that this proposal will receive favourable consideration and a positive response from all governments.
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Your Excellency,
The Chinese Government issued on July 31, 1963 a statement proposing a conference of the government heads of all countries of the world to discuss the question of complete, thorough, total and resolute prohibition and destruction of nuclear weapons. The text of the proposal reads as follows:
"The Government of the People’s Republic of China hereby proposes the following:
(1) All countries in the world, both nuclear and non-nuclear, solemnly declare that they will prohibit and destroy nuclear weapons completely, thoroughly, totally and resolutely. Concretely speaking, they will not use nuclear weapons, nor export, nor import, nor manufacture, nor test, nor stockpile them; and they will destroy all the existing nuclear weapons and their means of delivery in the world, and disband all the existing establishments for the research, testing and manufacture of nuclear weapons in the world.
(2) In order to fulfil the above undertakings step by step, the following measures shall be adopted first:
a. Dismantle all military bases, including nuclear bases, on foreign soil, and withdraw from abroad all nuclear weapons and their means of delivery.
b. Establish a nuclear weapon-free zone of the Asian and Pacific region, including the United States, the Soviet Union, China and Japan; a nuclear weapon-free zone of Central Europe; a nuclear weapon-free zone of Africa; and a nuclear weaponfree zone of Latin America. The countries possessing nuclear weapons shall undertake due obligations with regard to each of the nuclear weapon-free zones.
c. Refrain from exporting and importing in any form nuclear weapons and technical data for their manufacture.
d. Cease all nuclear tests, including underground nuclear tests.
(3) A conference of the government heads of all the countries of the world shall be convened to discuss the question of the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons and the question of taking the above-mentioned four measures in order to realize step by step the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons.”
In view of the urgent desire of the people of the world for the removal of the threat of nuclear war and for the safeguarding of the peace and security of the world, the Chinese Government earnestly hopes that its proposal will receive the favourable consideration and positive response of the Government of your country.
Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.
CHOU EN-LAI
Premier of the State Council of
the People’s Republic of China
August 2, 1963
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