China urges US to ‘reduce its nuclear arsenal’

ISTANBUL

China said on Thursday that the US must “earnestly fulfill its special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament.”

Addressing a regular press conference, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian urged the US to “significantly and substantially reduce its nuclear arsenal.”

“China pursues a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons,” Wu Qian said, noting that Beijing “adheres to a nuclear strategy of self-defense and always maintains its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security.”

Underscoring that China provides for “maintaining international peace and security,” Wu Qian said that the US should reduce its “military spending.”

Wu Qian also mentioned “the Taiwan issue,” and said that Beijing stands against “any country having any form of official exchanges and military contacts with the Taiwan region of China.”

He said that the situation regarding Taiwan “is purely China's internal affairs and does not tolerate any external interference,” stating that Beijing opposes “any form of military contact between the United States and Taiwan.”

He warned that China will “never promise to give up the use of force,” in Taiwan’s reunification with Beijing.