BEIJING, Mar. 13 -- The Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress approved the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism on February 28.

    The convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 9, 1999 and went into force on April 10, 2002. By August 16, 2005, 138 countries had signed the convention.

    On November 13, 2001, Tang Jiaxuan, then Chinese foreign minister, signed the convention on behalf of the Chinese Government.

    The top Chinese legislature's approval of the country's signing of the convention shows that China will soon start complying with the obligations and responsibilities it entails.

    Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei said that the approval of the country's signing of the convention by the Chinese legislature will facilitate the country's fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism and will help safeguard national security and maintain social stability.

    The approval also complies with the needs of the international anti-terror campaign.

    Ever-present terrorism across the world poses a serious threat to the survival and development of humanity as a whole. The rash of terrorism is fuelled by financial support, among other things. Many join terrorist organizations lured by money, though others do so because their minds are poisoned by extremist ideas.

    The convention defines the "financing terrorism" crime and demands the signatory parties to adopt legislative, judicial, law-enforcement and financial monitoring measures to prevent and crack down on the crime of supporting terrorism financially.

    The convention provides the legal basis for signatories to exercise jurisdiction over the crime. It also stipulates that signatories must co-operate with each other on extradition of wrongdoers and on offering legal assistance. The convention provides the channels for resolving disputes arising among the signatory countries in this regard.

    All this lays down a legal basis for coping with the crime of financing terrorism in whatever form.

    Blocking financing to terror organizations is like "taking firewood from under the cauldron" as a popular Chinese saying goes. It strikes terrorism at the root, cutting off the money supply that is vital to terror organizations' mere survival.

    Moreover, the act will prevent terrorists from owning more advanced weapons involving nuclear, biological and chemical technologies, on grounds of high costs of such equipment.

    So far, more than 600 bank accounts of terror cells have been frozen across the world, involving US$250 million, which is likely to make terrorist organizations hard up economically.

    But terrorism dies hard. The cells of al-Qaida or those with its backing are scattered widely over the world, and in some countries and regions terrorists still run wild. International anti-terror campaigns have a long way to go.

    China is also facing the threat posed by terrorism, separatism and extremism, whose acts are often in the guise of "democracy" and "human rights." Some elements, mimicking international terrorist tactics, threaten to launch terrorist attacks against targets in the country.

    These elements have an international background and show signs of integrating into the international terrorism.

    In view of this, China's joining of the convention will facilitate the country's anti-terror co-operation with the international community, freezing terrorist funds and paralyzing terror attacks from their very fountainhead.

    It should be noted that when signing the treaty, China made it clear it would not be bound by certain articles and jurisdictions particularly in relation to Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions,

    China qualifies its interpretation by saying it is not bound because it does not entirely agree with the convention, but because the country has its own specific and unique conditions, involving Hong Kong and Macao, which are the products of the idea of "one country, two systems."

    It should be kept in mind that the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism is only one part, though a vitally important one, of the worldwide anti-terror campaign. It can be brought into full play only by the long-standing efforts of the whole international community.

    It should also be kept in mind that terrorism will continue to run wild if it is not shaken at its very foundations, if the fundamental causes are not uprooted, and incorrect anti-terror policies and measures are adopted.  

    (Source: China Daily/By Liu Qiang, a researcher with the Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences)