China has implied that Washington is acting hypocritically on nuclear disarmament after the Pentagon claimed Beijing had deployed more than 100 ICBMs near Mongolia and has shown little interest in arms control talks.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian argued that Washington, as the world’s most heavily armed nuclear power, should set the example.
“The US must meaningfully reduce its nuclear arsenal to create fair conditions for other nuclear powers to join the disarmament process,” he said.
The Pentagon report suggests China is rapidly strengthening its long-range strike capability, although analysts note its current stockpile still trails significantly behind the US.
Lin accused Washington of exaggerating the threat in order to justify expanding its own nuclear strength, warning such actions undermine global stability.
Despite growing concern over China’s expanding arsenal, Beijing maintains that it does not seek a nuclear arms race and continues to uphold its no-first-use doctrine.