China will continue to enhance consultations and cooperation with all parties concerned to completely and thoroughly prohibit biological weapons and make the achievement of biotechnology serve the civilization and development of mankind, a senior Chinese official said Monday in Geneva.

"The rapid development and enormous potential of biotechnology and life science have greatly contributed to the fight against diseases and safeguard of health by mankind," said Hu Xiaodi, head of the Chinese delegation to the 2005 meeting of the states parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

"However, they also have brought new challenges to the prevention of the bio-terrorism threat and abuse of bio-research for weapon purposes. In this new situation, scientists bear the special and important duty of implementing the BWC and eliminating the threat of biological weapons," Hu told the meeting.

Exploring the appropriate code of conduct for scientists in the multilateral framework of the BWC, regulating the behavior of scientists, and helping the scientific community better understand and voluntarily implement the BWC are of great significance to promoting biological arms control, he added.

China upholds that in light of different level of economic and scientific development and different manage systems of various countries, it is appropriate for individual state, if necessary, taking into account their own national situation, to develop and improve their own guidance code for regulating the behavior of biological scientists at the national level, he said.

The elements he said may be considered to be included in relevant codes include: all individuals engaging in life sciences and related technologies be aware of and fully in compliance with the BWC and undertake not to participate in or support the activities prohibited by the BWC, and the promulgation and adoption of appropriate practices and procedures for biosafety and biosecurity.

"The rapid development of biotechnology, the possible prevalence of cross-border infectious diseases and the danger of bio-terrorism remind us of the necessity and urgency to strengthen the BWC," said Hu.

The convention, which has more than 150 signatory states, was reached in 1972 and came into effect in 1975.

Source: Xinhua