Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian

China expresses regret that the New START Treaty between Russia and the US has expired, which has had great significance for maintaining global strategic stability, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday. 

The international community is generally concerned that its expiration will have a negative impact on the international nuclear arms control system and the global nuclear order, Lin said, when asked to comment on the expiration of the treaty. 

Russia has proposed that Russia and the US continue to observe the core limits of the treaty, and China calls on the US side to respond positively, handle the follow-up arrangements of the treaty in a responsible manner, and resume strategic stability dialogue with Russia at an early date, which is also the common expectation of the international community, Lin said. 

The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the US is set to expire Thursday, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century, the AP reported. 

The termination of the New START Treaty would set the stage for what many fear could be an unconstrained nuclear arms race, per the AP. 

In response to questions about whether the Chinese side expressed its views on the issue of the treaty during the talks between Chinese and US leaders as well as the talks between Chinese and Russian leaders on Wednesday and what is China's comment on the treaty's expiration, in addition to questions with regard to the US has said that advancing nuclear arms control requires establishing a framework that includes China, and what is China's position how will China play its role as a major country in promoting nuclear arms control, Lin said regarding President Xi Jinping's virtual meeting with President Vladimir Putin and his phone talks with President Donald Trump, China has already released relevant information. 

China has always adopted an extremely cautious and responsible attitude on nuclear weapons issues. China has consistently adhered to a nuclear strategy of self-defense, upheld the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, and made an unconditional commitment not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones, Lin said. 

China always maintains its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security and has no intention of engaging in an arms race with any country. China has consistently advocated that progress on nuclear disarmament must follow the principle of safeguarding global strategic stability and ensuring that the security of all countries is not undermined, the spokesperson said, adding that China's nuclear forces are not at the same level at all with those of the US and Russia, and at this stage, China will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations.