KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — China has pledged to sign the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty once all necessary documentation is completed, according to Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Speaking on the sidelines of an ASEAN ministerial meeting, he confirmed that China committed to signing the treaty “without reservation,” marking a significant step toward keeping the region free of nuclear weapons.
The SEANWFZ treaty, in effect since 1997, restricts the use of nuclear power in Southeast Asia to peaceful purposes and aims to prevent nuclear weapons from entering the region’s territories and exclusive economic zones.
ASEAN continues to seek formal endorsement from the world’s five nuclear powers — China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and France — with China now expected to be the first among them to make the move.
