The Chinese envoy's comments followed the rejection by the UN Security Council (UNSC) of a draft resolution issued by Russia calling for the creation of a commission to investigate suspected non-compliance with the UN Biological Weapons Convention by the U.S. and Ukraine.
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The resolution was rejected in a vote before the 15-member UNSC with three votes against (U.S., France and UK), 2 in favor (Russia and China) and the rest (non-permanent members) abstaining. The proposal received less than the nine votes in favor needed for its approval.
The Chinese deputy representative said that "any evidence of indications related to compliance with the [biological weapons] convention should receive the full attention of the international community and deserve thorough and precise answers and clarifications from the party concerned."
According to Geng, Russia's concerns about compliance with the Convention could be effectively addressed through a fair and transparent investigation by the UNSC. He said this could allow the authority and effectiveness of the Convention to be maintained.
Russia has long voiced concern about the activities of biological laboratories on Ukrainian territory, for which it blames the U.S. Moscow says it has evidence about the existence in Ukraine of a biological program in cooperation with Washington that has invested some 32 million dollars.