Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said in an address that was uploaded to the New China TV YouTube channel on May 6, 2022, that the U.S. has been "hyping up" the nuclear threat posed by China, despite the fact that it is the biggest nuclear threat to the world. He said that the only purpose of America's "sensational claim" is to gain greater congressional funding for its nuclear program. He criticized the U.S. for withdrawing from several non-proliferation agreements and for trying to form an anti-Chinese "clique" with a "Cold War mentality." In addition, Zhao stressed that China has a self-defensive nuclear strategy and maintains the minimum level of nuclear armament to guarantee national security. He also stressed that China has a strict no-first-use policy. Zhao then called on the U.S. to assume "responsibility" for disarmament and to substantively reduce its nuclear arsenal in an irreversible and verifiable manner.
To view the clip of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian, click here or below.
"[Narratives Of] The So-Called China Nuclear Threat... Are Full Of Speculation And Prejudice[;] The United States Is The Top Threat[,] With The World's Largest And Most Advanced Nuclear Arsenal"
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Zhao Lijian: "Some people in the U.S. have been hyping up and rehashing various versions of the so-called China nuclear threat, all of which are full of speculation and prejudice. The objective is nothing but to gain a larger share in a Congress budget with this sensational claim. Their ultimate goal is to maintain and beef up the U.S.'s own nuclear capability.
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"The United States is the top threat to nuclear risks, with the world's largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal, the U.S. still investing trillions of dollars to upgrade its nuclear triad, developing low-yield nuclear weapons, and lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. Besides, the U.S. withdrew from legal documents in arms control, including the anti-ballistic missile treaty and the INF treaty [Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]. It refuses to ratify the CTBT [Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty], continues to deploy global anti-missile systems, and seeks to deploy land-based intermediate ballistic missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific. The U.S. advances to build a small clique, heavily [unclear] with Cold War mentality by selling nuclear submarines and strengthening the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
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"China Follows A Self-Defensive Nuclear Strategy"; The U.S. Should "Reduce Its Nuclear Arsenal In A Verifiable, Irreversible, And Legally Binding Manner"
"China follows a self-defensive nuclear strategy and keeps its nuclear forces at the minimum level required to safeguard national security. We stay committed to no first-use nuclear weapons at any time and under at any circumstances.
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"U.S. officials should stop the trick of the thief calling 'stop the thief!' and shifting the blame onto others. It should earnestly assume its special and primary responsibilities toward nuclear disarmament, continue to further reduce substantively its nuclear arsenal in a verifiable, irreversible, and legally binding manner, and take the same nuclear policy with China to make due contribution to reducing nuclear threats and promoting nuclear disarmament."
