Ministry of National Defense: Urge the US to substantively reduce its nuclear arsenal

Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a regular news conference on Thursday.

Question: It's reported that US President Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategy that, for the first time, reoriented America's nuclear deterrent strategy toward the so-called "expanding nuclear arsenal of China". The US side also said that it would dramatically expand its strategic nuclear arsenal starting from February 2026, when the US-Russia New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) would expire, so as to simultaneously counter challenges posed by nuclear-weapon states including Russia, China, Iran, and the DPRK. Do you have any comments?

Wu Qian: China firmly opposes the US expanding its nuclear arsenal and shirking responsibilities for nuclear disarmament under the pretext of the non-existent "China nuclear threat". China pursues a nuclear strategy of self-defense, and keeps its nuclear force at the minimum level required for national security. It is known to all that the US is in possession of the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, and it follows a nuclear policy that allows first use of nuclear weapons. In recent years, the US has invested heavily to miniaturize nuclear weapons for real combat, and exercised a "double standard" on nuclear proliferation, which severely threatens global strategic stability. We urge the US to abandon Cold War mentality, further reduce its nuclear arsenal in a substantive manner, stop proliferating nuclear material and technology, refrain from extending nuclear deterrence or expanding nuclear alliance, and take concrete actions to promote global strategic stability.