China accuses US of disrupting strategic balance with nuclear expansion

The US nuclear arms policy has significantly disrupted global strategic balance, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated during a recent briefing.

"In recent years, the US has increased the role of nuclear weapons in its national security policy... the US has seriously undermined global strategic balance and stability, intensified military rivalry and confrontation, and promoted nuclear risks," Lin Jian said, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

He highlighted that the US has continued to modernize its nuclear triad. Additionally, Washington is enhancing military cooperation with its allies and encouraging the deployment of intermediate-range missiles and missile defence systems on their territories. He pointed out that the US is striving for "hegemony and absolute strategic advantage."

Lin Jian urged the US to "create conditions for the final realisation of comprehensive and complete nuclear disarmament, make efforts to reduce strategic risks, and maintain regional peace and stability."

In terms of nuclear capabilities, China currently surpasses the US in the number of land-based intercontinental ballistic missile launchers. This was confirmed by Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan, a senior representative of the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM), at a briefing hosted by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, which is deemed undesirable by Russia.

"The PRC's arsenal of land-based intercontinental ballistic missile systems now exceeds that of the United States," he stated.

Rear Admiral Buchanan further noted that China is significantly expanding its strategic and nuclear forces, a development that "appears to contradict its nuclear doctrine of minimum deterrence." According to the Pentagon spokesperson, China has recently deployed approximately 1,000 additional ballistic missiles of varying ranges, including some with nuclear warheads, to its military.

Meanwhile, the US is seeking to establish an agreement with Beijing for the advance notification of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launches, said Richard Johnson, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Nuclear Policy and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation.

Johnson revealed that China had previously notified the US of a missile launch in advance, while not all nations in the region had received such warning.

"The US reciprocated on an ad hoc basis regarding the planned regular test of the [missile] Minuteman-3," he explained.

However, he emphasized that a more formalized agreement for regular exchange of information on upcoming tests would be preferable, rather than ad hoc notifications.

By Tamilla Hasanova