Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: VCG

China always upholds the policy that it will not be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time or under any circumstances, this is "transparency" of the most practical meaning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press conference on Friday as a response after media said that the US and Japan are negotiating to urge China to increase transparency in its nuclear power.   

Japanese media reported that the Japanese and US governments have begun coordinating on the wording of a joint statement to be released during their summit on Monday in Tokyo. 

The two sides are discussing over urging China to increase transparency in nuclear weapon and disarmament. 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was born in Hiroshima, would also propose a format for a world without nuclear weapons. In the joint statement, the US would also declare that it would enhance support in nuclear security to Japan considering the threats Japan faces, according to media.     

In response, Wang said that he had noted the reports.

However, the US is the one that owns the world's largest and most advanced nuclear weapon system. Instead of conducting its disarmament obligation, the US continues to invest in upgrading its Trinity nuclear weapon system, develop low-equivalent nuclear weapons and deploy a global anti-missile system, Wang pointed out. 

The US wants to deploy land-based intermediate-term missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region and establish military cliques like what it did during the Cold War. This behavior could damage global strategic stability, peace and security and seriously delay the process of nuclear disarmament, Wang said.

Japan, the country posing as a victim of nuclear weapons, has long been advocating a nuclear-clean world, but at the same time it enjoys US' protection in nuclear security and opposes and prevents the US from abandoning the policy to be the first to use nuclear weapons, Wang said, noting that Japan is hypocritical and contradictory over the nuclear disarmament issue.

Some Japanese politicians are also hoping for a nuclear-sharing arrangement with the US, but China and the international community have serious concerns over the issue, Wang noted.     

Wang reiterated that China has always adhered to a nuclear strategy of self-defense, pursues the policy to not use nuclear weapons first and maintains its nuclear power at the lowest level required to maintain national security.

"Any country should not be afraid of China using nuclear weapons against it as long as it does not use nuclear weapons against China, this is the most practical transparency," Wang said. 

Global Times