China releases white paper on arms control in new era

China's State Council Information Office on Thursday released a white paper titled "China's Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation in the New Era," outlining the country's policies and contributions to global security governance.

The white paper said that China plays a constructive role in international arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation, and actively puts forward its initiatives and solutions. China has been and will continue to be, a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order, it said.

Besides its preface, conclusion and annexes, the white paper consists of five sections outlining the challenging international security environment, China's positions and policies on arms control, its constructive contributions to global arms control efforts, its efforts in promoting security governance in emerging fields, and its call for stronger international cooperation on nonproliferation and the peaceful use of science and technology.

The white paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of China's policies and practices in arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation, as well as its positions on security governance in emerging domains such as outer space, cyberspace and artificial intelligence. It reiterates China's commitment to safeguarding global peace and security and calls on all countries to work together to advance international arms control.

Full text: China's Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation in New Era

Policies and positions

The document stated that China firmly adheres to a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, serving as the fundamental guideline for its defense and military development. China maintains defense spending that is open, transparent, reasonable and appropriate. "Compared with the United States and other countries with a strong military, China's defense spending remains relatively low in terms of its share of GDP," it noted.

On nuclear policy, it reaffirms China's unwavering commitment to a no-first-use nuclear strategy and a strictly self-defensive nuclear posture. China keeps its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security and places great importance on the safe management, use, and effective control of nuclear weapons.

China has never used nuclear weapons to threaten other countries, never deployed nuclear weapons outside its territory, and never provided a nuclear umbrella to any country. "China's nuclear weapons are not intended to threaten other countries, but for defense and self-protection," the paper said.

China has been calling on the five nuclear-weapon states - China, France, Russia, the UK, and the U.S. - to adopt mutual no-first-use commitments. Such an agreement, the white paper emphasized, would help reduce strategic risks, prevent nuclear arms races and promote global strategic stability.

On nonproliferation, it said China seeks to resolve nuclear proliferation issues through political and diplomatic means and supports the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Regarding missiles, it reiterates China's firm opposition to the deployment of missiles and missile defense systems that undermine other countries' legitimate security interests, urging nations to develop missile technologies strictly for self-defense purposes.

On chemical weapons, the document states that China has been fulfilling its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and advocates addressing chemical weapons–related hotspots in accordance with the Convention.

The white paper urged Japan to completely destroy the chemical weapons it abandoned in China during World War II, adding that these chemical weapons have caused more than 2,000 poisoning casualties since the war's end, posing serious threats to people’s lives and property, and damaging the environment.

"Destroying its abandoned chemical weapons in China is Japan's unshirkable historical, political and legal responsibility, and also an international obligation stipulated by the CWC," it stressed.

The white paper also calls for improving international security governance in emerging fields. It pointed out that emerging fields such as outer space, cyberspace, and AI represent new frontiers for human development and that they create a new focus of strategic security, and new territories of global governance.

China proposes that with the universal participation of all countries, the UN should play a pivotal role in fostering a global governance framework and standards for emerging fields based on broad consensus, while increasing the representation and voice of developing countries.

On China’s nonproliferation policy and practice, the white paper stressed that China continues to build its domestic nonproliferation capacity, actively participating in the international nonproliferation process, promoting international cooperation on peaceful uses of science and technology, and facilitating the improvement of global nonproliferation governance.

In conclusion, it states that no matter how the world changes, China will always serve as a staunch force for upholding world peace and security. China stands ready to work with all peace-loving countries to build an equal and orderly multipolar world, promote universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.