Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Li Song (L) speaks at a committee meeting of the 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the UN headquarters in New York on Aug. 5, 2022. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Li Song (L) speaks at a committee meeting of the 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the UN headquarters in New York on Aug. 5, 2022. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs Li Song on Friday blasted the United States for its negative moves on disarmament.
Driven by the Cold War mentality, the United States has been obsessed with major-power strategic competition and has sought absolute strategic advantage, strengthened military alliances, stirred up bloc confrontation on the eastern and western sides of the Eurasia continent, and pressed ahead with the forward deployment of nuclear missiles and other strategic forces, Li told a committee meeting of the 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
"These negative moves have seriously undermined the mutual trust among major powers, disrupted global strategic balance and stability, hindered international nuclear disarmament efforts, and increased the risk of nuclear arms race and conflicts," he said.
The international community should take the opportunity of this review conference to practice true multiculturalism, firmly resist the Cold War mentality and bloc rivalry, uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable global security, and hold in-depth discussions on effective ways to advance the international nuclear disarmament process and uphold and strengthen the authority and effectiveness of the NPT, said Li.
The countries with the largest nuclear arsenals -- the United States and Russia -- should effectively fulfill the special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament and make further significant and substantive reductions of their respective nuclear arsenals in a verifiable, irreversible and legally binding manner, so as to create the necessary conditions for comprehensive and complete nuclear disarmament, he said.
The United States should abandon the development and deployment of a global missile defense system, refrain from deploying land-based intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific and Europe, abandon its policies on nuclear umbrella and nuclear sharing, and withdraw all its nuclear weapons from other countries. The international community should jointly oppose the replication of NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region by relevant countries, he said.
China is committed to the path of peaceful development and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China stands by the rule that it will not attack unless attacked and will certainly fight back if attacked, said Li.
China will be resolute in defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and resolute in thwarting interference by external forces and attempts by Taiwan separatists, he said.
The purpose of China's nuclear weapons development is to deter the use of nuclear weapons on China and to resolutely fight back when the country is attacked by nuclear weapons. From the very first day of possessing nuclear weapons, China has been actively advocating the complete destruction of nuclear weapons. China explicitly undertakes not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances, and unconditionally commits itself to no use or threat of use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones, he said.
China always keeps its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security and never competes with other countries in input, quantity or scale of nuclear capabilities. China will not participate in an arms race in any form, he said.
