Washington’s accusations against China’s nuclear arsenal are just a “pretext” to further expand its own arsenal, the State Department said.
The United States is at the top “nuclear threat” in the world, China has said, accusing Washington of wanting to maintain “military hegemony” over other nations after US officials declared it necessary to rule in Beijing’s much smaller arms program.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a press conference on Friday, State Department spokesman Mao Ning was asked to respond after a top security adviser to US President Joe Biden stated that the White House should “Investing China in Work to Mitigate Nuclear Threats.”
“Calling China a ‘nuclear threat’ is a convenient pretext for the US to expand its own nuclear arsenal and maintain its military hegemony.” she said, insisting that China one “cautious and responsible” nuclear policy, in stark contrast to Washington’s.
It is the US that is the main source of nuclear threat in the world.
Following a meeting of foreign ministers earlier on Friday in New Delhi by the quadruple QUAD alliance – comprising the US, Japan, Australia and India – officials also issued a statement calling for the “use or threat of use” of nuclear weapons “inadmissible.” While the comment was not explicitly directed at Beijing, the QUAD group, sometimes referred to as an “Asian NATO,” has often pointed to perceived threats posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.
“China has expressed our position on QUAD several times. We believe that cooperation between states should be consistent with the trend of peace and development. instead of creating “exclusively” regional alliances, Mao continued, further pointing to the imminent transfer of nuclear technology from the US to Australia under the separate AUKUS pact.
“The US has also built small blocks reminiscent of the Cold War by strengthening extensive deterrence and conducting nuclear submarine cooperation.” she said.
Further steps for the trilateral AUKUS agreement, which also includes the UK, will be unveiled later this month, with officials hoping for a “seamless transfer” of nuclear propulsion technology from Washington to Canberra. Beijing has previously criticized the deal for moving forward “nuclear proliferation” around the world, as Australia does not have its own domestic capacity for the sensitive technology.
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