China is "seriously concerned" about a report that says the United States has approved a strategic nuclear plan that focuses on rapidly expanding China's nuclear arsenal, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
"The United States is promoting the narrative of a nuclear threat from China, finding excuses to gain a strategic advantage," said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.
"China is seriously concerned about the report, and the facts have fully proved that the United States has been constantly fueling the so-called nuclear threat theory from China in recent years," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing.
Addendum
According to a New York Times report, US President Joe Biden approved in March a highly classified strategic nuclear plan for the United States that for the first time refocuses the US deterrence strategy on China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal, but also aims to prepare the US for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from China, Russia and North Korea.
The White House said Tuesday that the classified strategic nuclear plan approved this year by Biden is not a response to a single country or to any single threat.
The United States has consistently pointed to China's extensive and growing nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon's annual report, published last October, stated that China has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal, and that the number is likely to exceed 1,000 by 2030.