Beijing
\nChina said it will continue to \u201cmodernize\u201d its nuclear arsenal and called on the United States and Russia to reduce their own stockpiles a day after global powers pledged to prevent such weapons from spreading. In a rare joint statement setting aside rising West-East tensions, the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France reaffirmed their goal of creating a world free of atomic weapons and avoiding a nuclear conflict.
\nThe five nuclear powers also committed to full future disarmament from atomic weapons, which have only been used in conflict in the US bombings of Japan at the end of World War II. But squaring that rhetoric with reality will not be easy at a time of spiralling tensions between those same global powers not seen since the Cold War.
\nThere are growing global concerns about China s rapid military modernisation especially after its armed forces last year announced they had developed a hypersonic missile that can fly at five times the spread of sound.
\nThe United States has also said China is expanding its nuclear arsenal with as many as 700 warheads by 2027 and possibly 1,000 by 2030.
\nOn Tuesday, China defended its nuclear weapons policy and said Russia and the United States — by far the world\u2019s largest nuclear powers — should make the first move on disarmament.
\n\u201cThe US and Russia still possess 90 percent of the nuclear warheads on Earth,\u201d Fu Cong, director general of the department of arms control at the Chinese foreign ministry, told reporters.
\n\u201cThey must reduce their nuclear arsenal in an irreversible and legally binding manner.\u201d
\nFu dismissed US claims that China was vastly increasing its nuclear capabilities.
\n\u201cChina has always adopted the no first use policy and we maintain our nuclear capabilities at the minimal level required for our national security,\u201d he said.
\nBut he said Beijing would \u201ccontinue to modernize its nuclear arsenal for reliability and safety issues\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Beijing China said it will continue to \u201cmodernize\u201d its nuclear arsenal and called on the United States and Russia to reduce their own stockpiles a day after global powers pledged to prevent such weapons from spreading. In a rare joint statement setting aside rising West-East tensions, the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France reaffirmed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-237087","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n