BEIJING, March 26– China’s Ministry of National Defense on Thursday refuted recent U.S. allegations of nuclear testing as groundless smears, urging the United States to fulfill its special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament.
Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media query regarding claims by U.S. officials.
China adheres to a self-defensive nuclear strategy, follows a no-first-use policy, and unconditionally commits not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones, Jiang said.
China has always kept its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security and does not engage in a nuclear arms race with any country, Jiang said, adding that China has actively participated in the review process of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and meetings under the mechanism of five nuclear-weapon states, while maintaining dialogue with all parties on nuclear arms control.
Jiang said the United States, in pursuit of absolute security superiority, has undermined international arms control consensus, withdrawn from international treaties, and invested heavily in upgrading its “nuclear triad.”
He added that the United States is developing the “Golden Dome” global missile defense system, deploying land-based intermediate-range weapons in the Asia-Pacific region, letting the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty lapse, seeking to resume nuclear testing, and adopting double standards on nuclear non-proliferation, which have seriously undermined global strategic balance and stability.
As the country with the largest nuclear arsenal, the United States should earnestly fulfill its special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament, make further substantial reductions in its nuclear arsenal, and create conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join the disarmament process, Jiang said. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
