China calls for countries with largest nuclear arsenals to reduce them

A Chinese official on Tuesday reiterated 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, Fu Cong, head of the Chinese delegation, said at the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

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

The 10th NPT Review Conference is being held from Aug 1-26 at United Nations 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."

"Nuclear-weapon states need to work together to reduce nuclear risks," said Fu, adding that they should also strengthen dialogue with non-nuclear-weapon states to enhance mutual understanding and support.

"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," said Fu, who is also the director-general of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

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," he 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. With a high level of stability, consistency and predictability, China's nuclear policy in itself is an important contribution to the international nuclear disarmament endeavor," Fu continued.

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

"The nuclear-powered submarine cooperation among the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia poses severe nuclear proliferation risks, in contravention of the object and purpose of the NPT," he said.

This review conference should conduct in-depth discussions on its implications in all aspects, including its challenges to the safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in order to firmly uphold the international non-proliferation regime, Fu said.

In September 2021, the United States, Great Britain and Australia announced the establishment of the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS), under which the US and UK will assist Australia in its acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

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 United States 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, he said.

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 the countries in the region and, when necessary, face severe countermeasures, he said.

"China is willing to take the lead in signing the protocol to the treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone," said Fu.

"We must take a balanced approach towards nonproliferation and peaceful uses. Some countries seek to create divisions along ideological lines, stretch the concept of national security, abuse multilateral export-control regime, and even attempt to create a new version of the Coordinating Committee for Export to Communist Countries, all in the name of nonproliferation.

"We must resolutely reject such practices, which go against the trend of the times, disrupt normal international cooperation, and harm the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries," Fu said.