China will not partake in in denuclearization talks with US, Russia

(MENAFN) China announced on Wednesday that it will not take part in denuclearization negotiations with the US and Russia, labeling the proposal as “unreasonable and unrealistic” because its nuclear arsenal is minimal and intended solely for national defense.

When asked about US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Beijing join the initiative, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun emphasized that China and the US are not on the same nuclear level.

“The country sitting on the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal should earnestly fulfill its special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament,” he said, referring to the US.

Guo reiterated that China follows a strict “no first use” policy and maintains only the minimum number of weapons necessary for national security. “China never engages in arms race with anyone,” he stated, adding that it is “neither reasonable nor realistic to ask China to join.”

Trump revealed on Monday that he had discussed nuclear arms reduction with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. “We’re talking about limiting nuclear, we’ll get China into that. We have the most, Russia has the second most, and China has third. But China is way behind, but they’ll catch us in five years,” he said. Moscow has not yet responded to Trump’s comments.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia has approximately 2,591 warheads in storage and 1,718 deployed, while the US possesses 1,930 and 1,770, respectively. China’s arsenal is estimated at 576 warheads, with only 24 deployed. The UK and France maintain 120 and 280 deployed warheads.

The most recent arms control agreement between Washington and Moscow, the New START treaty, limited deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550—the lowest in decades. Originally signed in 2010 and set to expire in 2021, it was extended for five years through 2026.

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