China Sends Official Posing As 'Academic' To Attend Vienna Nuclear Conference: Report
Source: International Business Times
China sent a high-profile official posing as an academic to attend an international conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons in Vienna, despite declining earlier to participate in the meeting, a report said Tuesday.
While the United States and Britain participated in the Vienna conference, the other three officially recognized nuclear weapon countries -- Russia, France and China -- had shunned the event. However, an anonymous conference speaker told Sputnik that Beijing had sent an official to the event.
China has sent somebody who is not officially here as a representative of China, but he is a very high level Chinese official who deals with nuclear weapons, and he is here as academic, but he is certainly here to listen on behalf of the Chinese government, the source told Sputnik.
This is the first time that the U.S. and Britain are taking part in such a conference. Explaining its decision to be a part of the Vienna conference, the U.S. said last month that it had decided "there were real prospects for constructive engagement with conference participants", but added that America will not involve itself in disarmament negotiations at the meeting, Reuters reported.
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Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/china-sends-official-posing-academic-attend-vienna-nuclear-conference-report-1744914
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(27,509 posts)Chinese Official Attends Vienna Nuclear Conference Under Guise of Academic
12:12 09.12.2014(updated 15:53 09.12.2014)
VIENNA, December 9 (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova Despite declining to officially attend the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, Beijing did send an official, in an academic capacity, making China the third nuclear power to participate in the conference, along with the United Kingdom and the United States, a conference speaker told Sputnik Tuesday.
"China has sent somebody who is not officially here as a representative of China, but he is a very high level Chinese official who deals with nuclear weapons, and he is here as academic, but he is certainly here to listen on behalf of the Chinese government," a conference speaker told Sputnik on condition of anonymity.
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"I think it was really good that the United States and the United Kingdom at the last minute decided to come. Even if they disagree with everything that is being said here, I hope that by being in the room you might hear something or listen to something that might lead to changing some of your views," the source pointed out.
That makes Russia and France the only ones of the five officially recognized nuclear powers not attending the third conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, which brings together representatives from almost 160 nations, drawing participants from civil society, international organizations and academia.
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