China Rejects Joining Nuclear Talks After New START Expiry

By Staff, Agencies

China said Thursday it will not participate in nuclear arms control talks “at this stage” following the expiry of the US-Russian New START treaty.

The agreement lapsed on February 5, ending decades of legally binding limits on deployed nuclear warheads held by the United States and Russia, which together possess more than 80% of the world’s nuclear weapons.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing’s position on arms control remains unchanged, emphasizing the need to preserve global strategic stability.

“China has always maintained that the advancement of arms control and disarmament must adhere to the principles of maintaining global strategic stability,” Lin said.

He stressed that China’s nuclear forces are “of a totally different scale” compared to those of the United States and Russia, adding that Beijing “will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage.”

Washington has repeatedly argued that any future nuclear arms agreement must include China, but efforts to persuade Beijing to join negotiations have so far failed.

The United States maintains a significantly larger nuclear arsenal, estimated at roughly 3,700 to 5,277 warheads, while China is believed to possess around 500 to 600.

China has long said its nuclear posture is designed primarily for deterrence, maintaining credible second-strike capabilities to respond to a potential nuclear attack rather than to initiate one.