Beijing calls for further cuts to nuclear arsenals at meeting reviewing treaty

A Chinese official reiterated on Tuesday that the countries with the largest nuclear arsenals should further conduct a substantive reduction in the weapons in a verifiable manner.

The principles of “maintaining global strategic stability” and “undiminished security for all” should be followed in the practice of nuclear disarmament, said Fu Cong, head of the Chinese delegation, at the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT.

The NPT entered into force in 1970. With 191 state parties joining the treaty, including the five original nuclear-weapon states, the NPT is the most widely adhered multilateral disarmament agreement, according to the United Nations.

The 10th NPT Review Conference is being held from Aug 1 to 26 at the UN headquarters in New York.

The countries with the largest nuclear arsenals should further conduct significant and substantive reduction in their nuclear arsenals in a verifiable, irreversible and legally binding manner, Fu said.

“This will create conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join the nuclear disarmament process,” he said, adding that nuclear-weapon states should strengthen dialogue with non-nuclear-weapon states to enhance mutual understanding.

“China is firmly committed to the path of peaceful development and a nuclear strategy of self-defense and undertakes not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances.”

While firmly safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, “China always keeps its nuclear capability at the minimum level required for safeguarding national security”, Fu said.

“We never compete with any country on the input, quantity or scale of its nuclear capability, nor do we participate in any form of nuclear arms race with any other country,” Fu continued.

AUKUS poses threats

Fu also said the international community should reject double standards in the area of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

In September last year, the United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced the establishment of AUKUS, an agreement in which the US and the UK will assist Australia in its acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

“The nuclear-powered submarine cooperation among the US, the UK and Australia poses severe nuclear proliferation risks, in contravention of the object and purpose of the NPT,” he said.

Fu pointed out that the so-called nuclear-sharing arrangements “run counter to the provisions of the NPT and increase the risks of nuclear proliferation and nuclear conflicts”.

The US should withdraw all its nuclear weapons from Europe and refrain from deploying nuclear weapons in any other region, and the relevant non-nuclear-weapon states should stop instigating nuclear sharing or other forms of nuclear deterrence arrangements.

Any attempt to replicate the NATO’s nuclear-sharing model in the Asia-Pacific region would undermine regional strategic stability and would be firmly opposed by countries in the region and, when necessary, face severe countermeasures.

“We must take a balanced approach toward nonproliferation and peaceful uses. Some countries seek to create divisions along ideological lines, stretch the concept of national security, and abuse the multilateral export control regime,” Fu said.

“We must resolutely reject such practices, which go against the trend of the times,” he added.