Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention’s Special Envoy asks China to join the anti-landmines movement

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Geneva, Beijing – His Royal Highness Prince Mired Raad Al Hussein of Jordan, on a mission to Beijing to promote the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, has called on China to join the landmark treaty that bans the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines.

Prince Mired meeting with Li Baodong, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of China (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China).

Prince Mired’s three-day visit to China includes stops in Beijing to discuss with Chinese leaders the problems caused by landmines and Nanjing where Prince Mired will learn more about China’s humanitarian demining programme. Through this programme located at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China has trained demining personnel from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.  

“China has expressed that it attaches great importance to the humanitarian concerns caused by anti-personnel mines and supports the international efforts to address these concerns,” said Prince Mired. “Given this endorsement of purpose and objectives of the Convention, I am hopeful that China will review its landmine policy so that it can join this global movement.”

“China is already supporting the pursuit of the Convention’s aims in Asia and beyond,” said Prince Mired. “It could play an even more central role by eventually acceding to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.”

As a Special Envoy, Prince Mired has carried out missions promoting the Convention to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Singapore, Tonga and the United States. Prince Mired’s current efforts are being sponsored by the European Union through a Council Decision intended in part to advance the universal acceptance of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.

Prince Mired meeting with General Kong Li, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of Defence of China.

In addition to Prince Mired, Princess Astrid of Belgium and Latin American singer-songwriter Juanes have agreed to promote efforts to eradicate anti-personnel mines throughout the world.

A total of 161 States have joined the Convention. Together the States Parties have destroyed over 44.5 million anti-personnel mines and cleared millions of square metres of once-dangerous lands.

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For press inquiries, contact: Laila Rodriguez press(at)apminebanconvention.org or +41 (0) 22 906 1656, . Find the Convention on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter.