Expiry of New START pact darkens the shadow of a nuclear arms race: China Daily editorial

As the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, approaches its expiration date on Thursday with no signs that Washington and Moscow are working jointly to extend it, the world stands on the brink of a perilous new era. The lapse of this momentous agreement, the last remaining arms control pact between the two largest nuclear powers, threatens to unravel decades of progress toward nonproliferation.

The deal, signed in 2010, has played a critical role in limiting the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems of the two countries. It entered into force in 2011 with an original 10-year validity period, and was later extended to Feb 5 this year. Yet the US president signaled recently that he would allow the treaty to expire despite his Russian counterpart's offer, made in September, for an informal one-year extension. "If it expires, it expires," the US leader said.

Alongside the expiration will go the legal constraints that have helped prevent an unchecked nuclear arms race between the two countries. Behind this lies a deeper calculation by the US to restructure the nuclear framework upon the treaty's expiration.

Over the years, the US has sought to dismantle the global arms control framework formed during the Cold War era, by withdrawing from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, and the Open Skies Treaty in 2020. Particularly, the US' insistence on advancing nuclear modernization, including the deployment of the "Golden Dome" missile defense system in places like Greenland, has been seen by many countries as strategic provocation.

Yet the US leader has repeatedly stated that he would like to see China brought into nuclear arms control negotiations, a suggestion that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian rejected on Tuesday, given the hugely disproportionate nuclear capabilities of China and the US. "At this stage, requesting China to participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations is neither fair nor reasonable," Lin said.

Together, the US and Russia possess about 11,000, or 90 percent of all nuclear warheads in the world, according to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. Without the New START's framework, strategic planning on both sides is likely to be driven by uncertainty and worst-case assessments, increasing the risk of a nuclear conflict.

With the coming end of New START, the international community calls for renewed commitment to nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. The US, in particular, as the world's sole superpower, bears a special responsibility in this regard. It should respond to Russia's proposal for a one-year extension of the treaty, and engage in meaningful dialogue to negotiate a new one that ensures continued nuclear restraint as soon as possible.

It is imperative that the two countries discuss follow-up arrangements and continue to significantly and substantively reduce their nuclear stockpiles in a manner that is verifiable, irreversible and legally binding. This is the common expectation of the international community. The urgency of the current situation calls for nations to unite in order to prevent a new nuclear arms race. The stakes are too high to ignore, and failing to act will subject the world to a possible nuclear apocalypse.

China has consistently advocated the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons, emphasizing the importance of strategic stability and preventing nuclear proliferation. Its commitment to a no-first-use policy and its pledge not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states highlight its dedication to a safer world.

Constructive engagement and multilateral cooperation are essential to achieve lasting peace and security. This approach underscores the necessity for all nations to jointly build a future free from the shadow of nuclear conflict.