Recently, China has made an important decision that is making news around the world: joining the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (UN-ATT), a major step forward in the regulation of its arms sales. The primary motive behind this move, as stated by China, is to maintain strict control over military product exports and to push for global peace and stability. By enlisting in the treaty, China is showing strong support for multilateralism. It has clarified that its military product outputs are only for sovereign countries, not non-state actors.
The Motivation Behind China’s Decision: Unpacking the Background
China’s decision to join the UN-ATT comes in response to the USA’s announcement to withdraw from the treaty in 2019. The given rationale was that the ATT interfered with international gun control, threatening the USA’s second amendment right to bear arms. The USA also expressed concerns about irresponsible arms transfers because top arms exporters like Russia and China were not part of the treaty. To date, Russia has neither signed nor announced any plans to join the ATT. Subsequently, the USA declared its exit from the Open Skies Treaty (OST) in May 2020 and withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, 1987, alongside Russia in August 2019.
China’s Position in the Global Arms Industry
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) annual report ‘Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019’, China ranks as the world’s second-largest arms producer after the USA. This underscores the significance of their intent to join the treaty.
Understanding the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty
The UN-ATT is primarily designed to manage the international trade in conventional arms ranging from small arms to tanks, combat aircraft, and warships. The treaty, which came into force on December 24th, 2014, helps control the influx of weapons into conflict zones. It necessitates member countries to record international transfers of weapons and prohibit cross-border shipments that could violate human rights or lead to civilian attacks.
India’s Perspective on the Arms Trade Treaty
From the inception of the ATT, India has held the view that the treaty can have a substantial impact on illicit trafficking in conventional arms, especially in cases of unauthorized use by terrorists and illegal non-state actors. While India actively participated in ATT negotiations and advocated for a balance of obligations between exporting and importing states, it has not signed the treaty. India asserts that the treaty doesn’t address terrorism and non-state actors adequately and opposes the possibility of the treaty being used unilaterally against importing states by exporting ones.
The Way Forward: The Importance of Adoption of the ATT
As it stands, civilian populations, particularly those living in poverty or severe inequality, are the primary victims of arms misuse by state and security forces, non-state armed groups, and organized crime syndicates. Poor regulation of arms transfers leads to widespread weapon availability and misuse, disrupting the UN’s humanitarian and development work. With many of the UN’s setbacks traced back to the poorly-regulated arms trade, the adoption of the ATT is crucial for the entire UN system, marking a significant step towards a safer world.
