China and the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty initiative

In the wrong hands, conventional arms, everything from tanks, to military aircraft to rifles and pistols, can have destructive effects on peace, security, human rights and development. The changing dynamics of the international arms trade and the increasing threats and dangers posed by the proliferation of conventional arms require much greater international collaboration than currently exists.

Since 2006, the idea of an international arms trade treaty (ATT) based on high common standards to regulate the international arms trade has gained significant ground within the United Nations. There is a reasonable prospect that states will at a UN diplomatic conference in July 2012 be able to reach consensus on the scope and parameters of the future treaty. But, although an overwhelming majority of states has broadly agreed on the need for an ATT, there remains scepticism amongst some countries, while debates are continuing on the preferred shape of the future treaty.

By countering some of the myths and misperceptions that still surround the UN ATT initiative, this paper argues for a strong and robust treaty that reflects the obligations that states have under international law and that allows to better regulate the international movement of conventional arms.