Zhang Xiaogang Photo:mod.gov.cn

Responding to a draft Pentagon report which claimed that China has likely loaded more than 100 ICBMs in three silo fields, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Thursday said that the US, instead of reflecting on its own actions, hypes up the so-called "China nuclear threat," which is nothing but an attempt to divert international attention and find excuses for accelerating the expansion of its own nuclear forces.

Citing the draft Pentagon report, Reuters claimed that China has loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles into three newly constructed silo fields near its border with Mongolia and showed little interest in arms control talks.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the MND, responded to the report at a press conference on Thursday. He noted that the US possesses the world's largest nuclear arsenal, pursues a nuclear deterrence policy that allows for the first use of nuclear weapons, and has long invested huge sums of money in upgrading its "triad" nuclear capabilities - it has even claimed that it will resume nuclear tests. 

China, however, has always strictly adhered to the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, Zhang said, firmly pursued a self-defensive nuclear strategy, and consistently maintained its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security. 

"We will never engage in a nuclear arms race with any country," the spokesperson said, while urging the US side to earnestly fulfill its special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament, further make drastic and substantive cut to its nuclear arsenal, and stop acts that undermine global strategic stability.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also responded to the Pentagon report on Tuesday, with spokesperson Lin Jian stating that "I'm not familiar with what you cited as a US draft report, but we've been hearing the same story told and retold by the US to create pretext for speeding up the upgrade of US nuclear power and disrupting global strategic stability. The international community needs to be soberly aware of that."

Just last month, the Chinese government released a white paper entitled China's Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in the New Era with a full overview of China's nuclear policy and position on nuclear disarmament. China remains firmly committed to the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and a nuclear strategy that focuses on self-defense, Lin said.

Global Times