China expresses opposition to US Nuclear Posture Review

World
Europe

China has expressed strong opposition to the newly released US Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which speculates on the development of China's nuclear power.

The NPR presumptuously speculated about the intentions behind China's development and played up the threat of China's nuclear strength, China's Defense Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said on Sunday.

Ren reiterated China's commitment to peaceful development and emphasized that China has adhered to the policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances. Under no circumstances will China use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.

Cover page of the US Nuclear Posture Review 2018 /US Department of Defense Photo

China has always taken an extremely restrained attitude towards the development of nuclear weapons and maintains its own nuclear power at the minimum level of national security need, Ren added.

The spokesperson also pointed out that a review of the nuclear situation requires a correct view of the era. "Peace and development are the irreversible trend of the world," he stressed.

We hope the US, as the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, could comply with the world's trend and discard its Cold War mentality to assume its nuclear disarmament special and primary responsibility, Ren said.

Ren added the US should understand Chinese strategic intent correctly and have a fair view on Chinese national defense and military development so as to meet each other half way.

File photo: A US Air Force missile maintenance team remove the upper section of an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead in an undated USAF photo at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. /VCG Photo

He also said China hoped the military relations between China and the US could become the stable factors of Sino-US relations in order to jointly safeguard the world and regional peace, stability and prosperity.

The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, a guiding principle for future US policy on its nuclear weapons, published on Friday, has listed China as an "uncertain international security environment" along with Russia, Iran and the DPRK.