China: US’ nuclear weapons poses a threat to int’l peace, security

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Aug 2022 08:15
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At the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference, the Chinese Representative stresses that the US possesses a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons, posing a threat to international peace and security.

China's delegates are seated during the 2022 NPT review conference, (AP)

The division director of the Arms Control Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Ding Tongbing, said that China is urging the United States to take responsibility as a nuclear power by drastically reducing its nuclear arsenal.

At the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference, Ding emphasized that the United States possessed a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons, which posed a threat to international peace and security.

"China urges the United States to concretely show the responsibility ... and to commit to a substantial and substantive reduction of its nuclear arsenal in an irreversible and verifiable manner. Only by doing so, the United States will restore the trust of the international community," the Chinese diplomat added.

Previously, Moscow’s envoy to the UN nonproliferation review conference Alexander Trofimov said, on Tuesday, that “Russia's nuclear doctrine is very clear, and the current conflict in Ukraine does not meet any of its criteria”.

The top Russian diplomat also dismissed a series of claims made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as "utterly unfounded" speculation, possibly meant to fuel "anti-Russian hysteria."

He also urged the US to reconsider its foreign policy, conduct it with mutual respect, and engage in productive dialogue with China to create the necessary conditions for arms control negotiations.

It is worth noting that Blinken has recently accused Russia of “reckless, dangerous nuclear saber-rattling,” against “those supporting Ukraine’s self-defense.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that there could never be any winners in a nuclear war and it should never be "unleashed".

The comment was issued in a letter to participants of a conference on the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) in which Putin insisted that Russia remained faithful to the treaty's "letter and spirit."

World leaders are gathering in New York for the first review of the UN Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since nuclear weapons became illegal under international law in 2021. All 191 NPT member states are under intense pressure to condemn recent threats to use nuclear weapons, the expansion, and modernization of nuclear arsenals by all nuclear-armed states, and the increased role of nuclear weapons in security doctrines.

The Tenth Review Conference (RevCon) of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is being held in New York from August 1 to 26, 2022.