China urged: ‘Stop weapons program’

BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday urged China to join international efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons amid concerns that the Asian superpower is rapidly developing missiles capable of carrying atomic warheads. Laying out his priorities for nuclear disarmament at NATO’s annual arms control conference, Stoltenberg said more countries must be included in future missile restriction talks, not just Russia.

“As a global power, China has global responsibilities in arms control. And Beijing too would benefit from mutual limits on numbers, increased transparency and more predictability,” Stoltenberg said. “These are the foundations for international stability.”

Warning that Beijing’s nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding, he said, “China is building a large number of missile silos, which can significantly increase its nuclear capability. All of this is happening without any limitation or constraint. And with a complete lack of transparency.”

In 2019, the United States pulled out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, blaming Russia for violating the bilateral pact. It was the first arms control measure to ban an entire class of weapons: groundlaunched cruise missiles with a range of 310-3,100 miles.

As the pact fell apart, China continued to build such weapons.

Stoltenberg welcomed the agreement between the United States and Russia to extend for another five years the New START treaty limiting their strategic nuclear weapons. But he said more kinds of arms should be added to nonproliferation talks, including new technologies such as artificial intelligence.