(MENAFN) China on Monday called on the United States to maintain its nuclear testing moratorium, responding to President Donald Trump’s directive for the Pentagon to prepare for a potential resumption of nuclear weapons tests.

“We hope the United States will uphold the moratorium on nuclear testing and uphold the global strategic balance and may take concrete action to uphold international disarmament and non-proliferation regime,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.

Mao emphasized that China “always embarks on journey of peaceful development.”

“We uphold the principle of not to use nuclear weapon first and use the nuclear weapon for defense.”

“We stand ready to work with all parties to uphold the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and uphold non-proliferation regime and disarmament,” she added.

Trump’s announcement on Sunday claimed that other countries, including Russia and China, were conducting nuclear tests.

“Russia is testing, and China is testing, but they don't talk about it," Trump said in an interview.

The remarks came just three days after Trump ordered the U.S. military to resume nuclear testing, a move that would mark the first such tests in more than three decades.

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