Chine

15 December 2025

Declarations made at the time of ratification

I. Pursuant to Article 10 Paragraph 1 and Article 70 of the Agreement, the People’s Republic of China makes an exception to the application of the provisions of the Agreement. For the People’s Republic of China, the provisions of the Agreement apply only to activities with respect to marine genetic resources and digital sequence information on marine genetic resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction collected and generated after the entry into force of the Agreement for the People’s Republic of China, and do not apply to the utilization of marine genetic resources and digital sequence information on marine genetic resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction collected or generated before the entry into force of the Agreement for the People’s Republic of China.
II. Pursuant to Article 71 of the Agreement, the People’s Republic of China makes the following declarations:
i. In accordance with Article 1 Paragraph 2, Article 3, Article 6, Article 18 and other related provisions of the Agreement, the Agreement shall apply only to the high seas and the Area; the Agreement and its implementation shall be without prejudice to the sovereignty, sovereign rights or jurisdiction of a State, including in respect of any disputes relating thereto; the establishment of area-based management tools under the Agreement, including marine protected areas, shall not include any areas within national jurisdiction or any areas involving any claims of a State to sovereignty, sovereign rights or jurisdiction. Based on the foregoing, the territorial sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China shall under no circumstances be affected by the Agreement or its implementation; the maritime rights of the People’s Republic of China in areas within its national jurisdiction shall under no circumstances be affected by the Agreement or its implementation.
ii. In accordance with Article 2, Article 5 and other related provisions of the Agreement, the Agreement and its implementation shall properly address the relationship between conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity, and shall cooperate and coordinate with relevant international legal instruments, frameworks and bodies without undermining their competence or operation.
iii. In accordance with Article 47 Paragraph 5 of the Agreement, the Conference of the Parties to the Agreement shall make every effort to adopt decisions and recommendations by consensus.
III. Unless otherwise notified by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Agreement shall not apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China or to the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Declaration :

I. Article 5 of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer shall not apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
II. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, the Government of the People’s Republic of China decides that the above-mentioned Amendment shall apply to the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and unless otherwise notified by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, shall not apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Declaration:

In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, the Government of the People’s Republic of China decides that the Agreement applies to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Declaration:

In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, the Government of the People’s Republic of China decides that the Convention applies to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Declaration:

Unless otherwise notified by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Protocol shall not apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Declaration:

The People's Republic of China does not consider itself bound by paragraph 1 of article 23 of the Convention.

Reservation:

.....the People's Republic of China shall not be bound by paragraph 2 of Article 66 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Declaration:

In accordance with the provision of Article 16, paragraph 5.....the People's Republic of China indicates hereby its commitment to prohibit the introduction of tobacco vending machines within its jurisdiction.

Reservation:

The People’s Republic of China is not bound by article 16, paragraph 2, of the Firearms Protocol.
Declarations:

1. In respect of article 2 of the Firearms Protocol, the People’s Republic of China has already enacted stricter domestic legal provisions to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition.
2. Under the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, the Government of the People’s Republic of China decides that the Firearms Protocol applies to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and to the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
3. The reservations made by the People’s Republic of China to article 16, paragraph 2, of the Firearms Protocol and the declarations made regarding article 2 of the Firearms Protocol shall also be applied to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and to the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Declaration:

In accordance with the provisions of article 25, paragraph 4 of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, with respect to the People's Republic of China, any amendment to Annex A, B or C shall enter into force only upon the deposit of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with respect thereto.

Reservation:

The People’s Republic of China shall not be bound by paragraph 2 of Article 15 of the Protocol.
Declaration:

Unless otherwise notified by the Government, the Protocol shall not apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

Reservation:

The People's Republic of China makes a reservation with regard to Article 35, paragraph 2 of the Convention and is not bound by the provisions of Article 35, paragraph 2.

Declaration:

1. The minimum age for citizens voluntarily entering the Armed Forces of the People’s Republic of China is 17 years of age.
2. The Government of the People’s Republic of China is applying the following safeguard measures in implementing the foregoing provision:
(1) The Military Service Law of the People’s Republic of China provides that each year, male citizens who have reached 18 years of age by 31 December shall be recruited for active service. To meet the needs of the armed forces and on the principle of voluntary participation, male and female citizens who have not yet reached 18 years of age by 31 December of a given year may be recruited for active service. Citizens eligible for enlistment who have registered for military service but who have not been recruited for active service shall serve in the enlistees reserves, for which the minimum age is 18. The Regulations on the Recruitment of Soldiers formulated by the State Council and the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China on the basis of the Military Service Law of the People’s Republic of China, provides that in order to meet the needs of the armed forces and on the principle of voluntary participation, male and female citizens who have not yet reached 17 years of age by 31 December of a given year may be recruited for active service.
(2) The Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China provides that whoever engages in favouritism and commits irregularities in conscription work or accepts or delivers unqualified recruits shall be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention, if the circumstances are serious; such an offender is to be sentenced to not less than three years but not more than seven years of fixed-term imprisonment if the consequences are especially serious.
(3) Under the provisions of the Regulations on Honest and Non-Corrupt Recruitment, formulated by the State Council and the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China, neither the loosening of recruitment conditions nor the lowering of enlistment standards are to be allowed. They further provide for the implementation of a system of visiting the homes and work units of youth who enlist, and for verifying the ages of enlisting youth.

Reservation and declaration:

1. The People's Republic of China shall not be bound by paragraph 1 of article 24 of the Convention.
[...]
3. As to the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, the following three Conventions shall not be included in the annex referred to in Article 2, paragraph 1, subparagraph (a) of the Convention:
(1) Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, adopted at Vienna on 3 March 1980.
(2) Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, done at Rome on 10 March 1988.
(3) Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms located on the Continental Shelf, done at Rome on 10 March 1988.

Reservation:

"... China accedes to the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombing, done at New York on 15 December 1997, and declares that it does not consider itself bound by paragraph 1 of Article 20 of the Convention."

Reservation:

The People's Republic of China makes a reservation with regard to Article 22, paragraph 1 of the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel and is not bound by the provisions of Article 22, paragraph 1.

Upon signature:

Declarations:

" I. China has consistently stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of all chemical weapons and their production facilities. The Convention constitutes the legal basis for the realization of this goal. China therefore supports the object and purpose and principles of the Convention.
II. The object and purpose and principles of the Convention should be strictly abided by. The relevant provisions on challenge inspection should not be abused to the detriment of the security interests of States Parties unrelated to chemical weapons. Otherwise, the universality of the Convention is bound to be adversely affected.
III. States Parties that have abandoned chemical weapons on the territories of other States parties should implement in earnest the relevant provisions of the Convention and undertake the obligation to destroy the abandoned chemical weapons.
IV. The Convention should effectively facilitate trade, scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation in the field of chemistry for peaceful purposes. All export controls inconsistent with the Convention should be abolished."
Upon ratification:

Declarations:

1. China has always stood for complete prohibition and thorough destruction of chemical weapons. As CWC has laid an international legal foundation for the realization of this goal, China supports the purpose, objectives and principles of the CWC.
2. China calls upon the countries with the largest chemical weapons arsenals to ratify CWC without delay with a view to attaining its purposes and objectives at an early date.
3. The purposes, objectives and principles of CWC should be strictly observed. The provisions concerning challenge inspection shall not be abused and the national security interests of States parties not related to chemical weapons shall not be compromised. China is firmly opposed to any act of abusing the verification provisions which endangers its sovereignty and security.
4. Any country which has abandoned chemical weapons on the territory of another country should effectively implement the relevant CWC provisions, undertake the obligations to destroy those chemical weapons and ensure the earliest complete destruction of all the chemical weapons it has abandoned on another state's territory.
5. CWC should play a sound role in promoting international trade, scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation for peaceful purposes in the field of chemical industry. It should become the effective legal basis for regulating trade and exchange among the states parties in the field of chemical industry.

Reservation:

[T]he People's Republic of China shall fulfil its obligations provided by article 6 of the Convention under the prerequisite that the Convention accords with the provisions of article 25 concerning family planning of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and in conformity with the provisions of article 2 of the Law of Minor Children of the People's Republic of China.

Declaration made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

Under the Article 32, paragraph 4, China does not consider itself bound by paragraphs 2 and 3 of that article.

Reservations made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

"(1) The Chinese Government does not recognize the competence of the Committee against Torture as provided for in article 20 of the Convention.
"(2) The Chinese Government does not consider itself bound by paragraph l of article 30 of the Convention."

Declaration:

1. In accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the People's Republic of China shall enjoy sovereign rights and jurisdiction over an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles and the continental shelf.
2. The People's Republic of China will effect, through consultations, the delimitation of boundary of the maritime jurisdiction with the states with coasts opposite or adjacent to China respectively on the basis of international law and in accordance with the equitable principle.
3. The People's Republic of China reaffirms its sovereignty over all its archipelagoes and islands as listed in article 2 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone which was promulgated on 25 February 1992.
4. The People's Republic of China reaffirms that the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning innocent passage through the territorial sea shall not prejudice the right of a coastal state to request, in accordance with its laws and regulations, a foreign state to obtain advance approval from or give prior notification to the coastal state for the passage of its warships through the territorial sea of the coastal state.
25 August 2006

Declaration under article 298:

The Government of the People's Republic of China does not accept any of the procedures provided for in Section 2 of Part XV of the Convention with respect to all the categories of disputes referred to in paragraph 1 (a) (b) and (c) of Article 298 of the Convention.

Upon signature:

Statement:
1. The Government of the People's Republic of China has decided to sign the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects adopted at the United Nations Conference held in Gene- va on 10 October 1980.
2. The Government of the People's Republic of China deems that the basic spirit of the Convention reflects the reasonable demand and good intention of numerous countries and peoples of the world regarding prohibitions or restrictions on the use of certain conventional weapons which are excessively in- jurious or have indiscriminate effects. This basic spirit con- forms to China's consistent position and serves the interest of opposing aggression and maintaining peace.
3. However, it should be pointed out that the Convention fails to provide for supervision or verification of any violation of its clauses, thus weakening its binding force. The Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby Traps and Other Devices fails to lay down strict restrictions on the use of such weapons by the aggressor on the territory of his victim and to provide adequately for the right of a state victim of an aggression to defend itself by all necessary means. The Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons does not stipulate restrictions on the use of such weapons against combat personnel. Furthermore, the Chinese texts of the Convention and Protocol are not accurate or satisfactory enough. It is the hope of the Chinese Government that these inadequacies can be remedied in due course.

4 May 2022

Declaration:

In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People`s Republic of China (“the PRC”), the Government of the PRC decides that the Convention shall apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (hereinafter referred to as “the HKSAR”) of the PRC and declares that the declaration that the PRC is not bound by subparagraph (b) of paragraph (1) of article 1 of the Convention shall not apply to the HKSAR of the PRC.

Declaration made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

The People's Republic of China does not consider itself bound by paragraph 1 of article 29 of the Convention.

Reservation:

The People's Republic of China makes its reservation to article 16, paragraph 1, and does not consider itself bound by the provisions of article 16, paragraph 1, of the Convention.

Reservation:

The People’s Republic of China does not accept the constraints imposed in article 57, paragraphs 2 through 6, of the 1975 Convention on the International Transport of Goods.
Territorial Application:

Pending further notification by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the 1975 Convention on the International Transport of Goods shall not apply within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

[See chapter VI.16.]

The joint shipping services established between the People's Republic of China and any other country through consultations and on a basis that the parties concerned may deem appropriate, are totally different from liner conferences in nature, and the provisions of the United Nations Convention on a Code of Conduct for Liner Conferences shall not be applicable thereto.

[The People's Republic of China] declares that, in accordance with paragraph 2 of article 13 of the Convention, the People's Republic of China has reservations on paragraph l of article 13 of the Convention and does not consider itself bound by the provisions of the said paragraph.

Reservation:

"1. The Chinese Government has reservation on paragraph 2, article 48 of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 [as amended] and on paragraph 2, article 31 of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971.
Declaration:

2. The signature and ratification by the Taiwan authorities in the name of China respectively on 30 March 1961 and 12 May 1969 of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 and their signature of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 on 21 February 1971 are all illegal and therefore null and void."

Reservation:

1. The People's Republic of China makes its reservation to article 66 of the said Convention.
Declaration:

2. The signature to the said Convention by the Taiwan authorities on 27 April 1970 in the name of "China" is illegal and therefore null and void.

Statement made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

The signature that the Taiwan authorities affixed, by usurping the name of "China", to the [said Covenant] on 5 October 1967, is illegal and null and void.
Statement made upon ratification:

In accordance with the Decision made by the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China at its Twentieth Session, the President of the People's Republic of China hereby ratifies The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights , which was signed by Mr. Qin Huasun on behalf of the People's Republic of China on 27 October 1997, and declares the following:
1. The application of Article 8.1 (a) of the Covenant to the People's Republic of China shall be consistent with the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, Trade Union Law of the People's Republic of China and Labor Law of the People's Republic of China ;
2. In accordance with the official notes addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations by the Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations on 20 June 1997 and 2 December 1999 respectively, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights shall be applicable to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and shall, pursuant to the provisions of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China , be implemented through the respective laws of the two special administrative regions.

Reservation:

The People's Republic of China has reservations on the provisions of article 22 of the Convention and will not be bound by it. (The reservation was circulated by the Secretary-General on 13 January 1982.)
Declaration:

The signing and ratification of the said Convention by the Taiwan authorities in the name of China are illegal and null and void.

The Government of the People's Republic of China holds reservations on the provisions about nuncios and the representa- tive of the Holy See in articles 14 and 16 and on the provisions of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of article 37.

1. The People's Republic of China will apply the Conven- tion, only on the basis of reciprocity, to the recognition and en- forcement of arbitral awards made in the territory of another Contracting State;
2. The People's Republic of China will apply the Conven- tion only to differences arising out of legal relationships, whether contractual or not, which are considered as commercial under the national law of the People's Republic of China.

“[Subject to] reservations on the following articles:
(1). The latter half of article 14, which reads
‘In the territory of any other Contracting State, he shall be accorded the same protection as is accorded in that territory to nationals of the country in which he has his habitual residence.’
(2). Article 16 (3).”

Declaration:

1. The ratification to the said Convention by the Taiwan local authorities on 19 July 1951 in the name of China is illegal and therefore null and void.
Reservation:

2. The People's Republic of China does not consider itself bound by article IX of the said Convention.

Declarations made upon signature:

1. China has all along stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons and the realization of a nuclear-weapon-free world. It is in favor of a comprehensive ban on nuclear weapon test explosions in the process towards this objective. China is deeply convinced that the CTBT will facilitate nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. Therefore, China supports the conclusion, through negotiation, of a fair, reasonable and verifiable treaty with universal adherence and unlimited duration and is ready to take active measures to promote its ratification and entry into force.
2. Meanwhile, the Chinese Government solemnly makes the following appeals:
(1) Major nuclear weapon states should abandon their policy of nuclear deterrence. States with huge nuclear arsenals should continue to drastically reduce their nuclear stockpiles.
(2) All countries that have deployed nuclear weapons on foreign soil should withdraw all of them to their own land. All nuclear weapon states should undertake not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, commit themselves unconditionally to the non-use or threat of use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states or nuclear weapon-free zones, and conclude, at an early date, international legal instruments to this effect.
(3) All nuclear weapon states should pledge their support to proposals for the establishment of nuclear weapon-free zones, respect their status as such and undertake corresponding obligations.
(4) No country should develop or deploy space weapon systems or missile defence systems undermining strategic security and stability.
(5) An international convention on the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons should be concluded through negotiations.
3. The Chinese Government endorses the application of verification measures consistent with the provisions of the CTBT to ensure its faithful implementation and at the same time it firmly opposes the abuse of verification rights by any country, including the use of espionage or human intelligence, to infringe upon the sovereignty of China and impair its legitimate security interests in violation of universally recognized principles of international law.
4 . In the present day world where huge nuclear arsenals and nuclear deterrence policy based on the first use of nuclear weapons still exist, the supreme national interests of China demand that it ensure the safety, reliability and effectiveness of its nuclear weapons before the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons is achieved.
5. The Chinese Government and people are ready to continue to work together with governments and peoples of other countries for an early realization of the lofty goal of the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons.

Upon signature:

Statement:
"It is the belief of the Government of the People's Republic of China that the [said Agreement] is an important development of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This Agreement will have a significant impact on the conservation and management of living marine resources, especially fish resources in the high seas as well as on the international cooperation in fishery. Upon signing the Agreement, the Government of the People's Republic of China wish to make the following statement in accordance with article 43 of the Agreement:
1. About the understanding of paragraph 7 of article 21 of the Agreement: The Government of China is of the view that the enforcement action taken by the inspecting State with the authorization of the flag State involves state sovereignty and national legislation of the States concerned. The authorized enforcement action should be limited to the mode and scope as specified in the authorization by the flag State. Enforcement action by the inspecting State under such circumstances should only be that of executing the authorization of the flag state.
2. About the understanding of subparagraph (f), paragraph 1 of article 22 of the Agreement: This subparagraph provides that the inspecting State shall ensure that its duly authorized inspectors `avoid the use of force except when and to the degree necessary to ensure the safety of the inspectors and where the inspectors are obstructed in the execution of their duties. The degree of force used shall not exceed that reasonably required in the circumstances'. The understanding of the Chinese Government on this provision is that only when the personal safety of the authorized inspectors whose authorization has been duly verified is endangered and their normal inspecting activities are obstructed by violence committed by crew members of fishermen of the fishing vessel under inspection, may the inspectors take appropriate compulsory measures necessary to stop such violence. It should be emphasized that the action of force by the inspectors shall only be taken against those crew members or fishermen committing the violence and must never be taken against the vessel as a whole or other crew members or fishermen."