China implicitly criticized the US for its plans to change nuclear policy and warned that maintaining large arsenals increases the risk of conflict after Washington stated it was ready to meet its rivals by resuming nuclear weapons tests, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
Some countries continue to adjust their nuclear policy, persistently maintaining huge nuclear arsenals, strengthening nuclear deterrence and combat potential, thereby increasing the risk of global nuclear conflict.
The document's publication followed US President Donald Trump's pledge not to concede to adversaries in nuclear weapons testing after Russia's recent announcement of tests of a nuclear-powered underwater drone and a cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. He added that the US would conduct such tests "quite soon."
It is unclear whether Trump was referring to the detonation of nuclear warheads, which would reverse decades of US policy and violate a de facto global ban, or simply an expansion of testing of delivery systems, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The only country known to have tested nuclear bomb designs this century is North Korea, which last detonated an atomic device in 2017.
In 2019, the US withdrew from a Cold War-era nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia, stating that Moscow had violated it by producing prohibited missiles. Trump argued that the agreement was flawed because it did not include China.
Although China has a smaller arsenal of nuclear warheads than the US and Russia, it is rapidly expanding and modernizing its arsenal, according to US government estimates. China last tested a nuclear bomb in 1996, but continues to test missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last year, as well as hypersonic warheads that use high speeds and maneuverability to prevent interception.
Beijing also reaffirmed its "extremely restrained" approach to nuclear weapons development and stated it would never participate in a nuclear arms race. The highest body of China's ruling party stated in October that it plans to "expand strategic deterrence capabilities" - a military term that includes nuclear forces - over the next five years.
In addition, "some countries" were criticized for promoting missile defense systems, such as Trump's envisioned "Golden Dome," which is designed to protect US territory not only from limited attacks by rogue states, but also from large-scale strikes by countries like Russia and China. Critics said that the "Golden Dome" is practically impossible to implement technically.
As Bloomberg News reports, Washington and Seoul are also holding closed-door talks on jointly building nuclear submarines for both fleets. Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander of US naval operations, said these submarines could help counter China's rapidly growing fleet.