China
Mine Action
Contamination and Impact
Despite earlier statements to the contrary, the People’s Republic of China remains affected by landmines. The extent of contamination is not known.
In the 1990s, the United States (US) reported that China had emplaced mines along its borders with India, the Russian Federation, and Vietnam.[1] China’s military estimated that around two million mines of a wide variety of types were emplaced on the Vietnam border alone.[2]
China conducted clearance operations along its border with Vietnam between 1992 and 1999[3] and between 2005 and 2009.[4] In 2009, China said it had completed demining along the Yunnan section of its border with Vietnam and that this “represents the completion of mine clearance of mine-affected areas within China’s territory.”[5] However, casualties from landmines continue to be reported in parts of Yunnan bordering Vietnam where some areas are marked as mine-affected.[6] Press reports say one to two people are injured in landmine incidents in this region every year.[7]
Moreover, in September 2011 a Foreign Ministry official reported to Landmine Monitor that China maintains a small number of minefields “for national defense.”[8] Two months later, at the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, China said large-scale demining activities had “on the whole eliminated the scourge of landmines in our territories.”[9] China has not reported on mine contamination along its borders with Russia and India or on operations to clear them.
Mine Action Program
There is no formal mine action program in China. Mine clearance is conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as a military activity.
Land Release
Demining of the Vietnam border was conducted in three “campaigns” in Yunnan province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The first was in 1992–1994 and the second in 1997–1999. Press reports cited claims by the Chinese military that this second clearance operation was the largest in world military history.[10]
However, these two campaigns did not deal with minefields located in disputed areas of the border, where 500,000 mines covered an estimated 40km2. After a technical survey of mined areas, China embarked on a third clearance campaign in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan province in 2005. China stated in 2009 that it had completed clearance of this border after clearing a total of 5.15km2.[11]
[1] US Department of State, “Hidden Killers 1994,” Washington, DC, September 1998, p. 18, and Table A-1.
[2] Li Huizi and Li Yun, “Chinese soldiers nearly done with landmine sweeping on the Sino-Vietnam border,” Xinhua, 31 December 2008.
[3] Ministry of Defense, “Postwar Demining Operations in China,” December 1999, p. 11. Before the clearance operations, there were said to be more than 560 minefields covering a total area of more than 300km2.
[4] Interview with Shen Jian, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Beijing, 1 April 2008; and Huizi and Yun, “Chinese soldiers nearly done with landmine sweeping on the Sino-Vietnam border,” Xinhua, 31 December 2008.
[5] Statement of China, Second Review Conference, Cartagena, 4 December 2009.
[6] “Landmines continue to kill in Yunnan province,” Global Times, 16 May 2011.
[7] Zhang Jiawei, “Landmines haunt Chinese village,” China Daily, 13 January 2011.
[8] Email from Lai Haiyang, Attaché, Department of Arms Control & Disarmament, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 7 September 2011.
[9] Statement of China, Eleventh Meeting of States Parties, Phnom Penh, 29 November 2011.
[10] Huizi and Yun, “Chinese soldiers nearly done with landmine sweeping on the Sino-Vietnam border,” Xinhua, 31 December 2008.
[11] Statement of China, Second Review Conference, Cartagena, 4 December 2009.