China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday firmly rejected calls to join nuclear disarmament negotiations between the United States and Russia, dismissing the idea as both “unreasonable” and “unrealistic.”
Beijing Declines Participation in Disarmament Talks
“It is neither reasonable nor realistic to ask China to join the US-Russia nuclear disarmament negotiations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters during a regular press briefing.
The remarks came in response to US President Donald Trump’s recent comments, in which he suggested that China should participate in discussions with Russia aimed at reducing nuclear arsenals.
China Points to the US and Russia’s Responsibility
Guo stressed that the United States and Russia, as the world’s largest nuclear powers, carry the “special and primary responsibility” for arms control.
“The country sitting on the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal should earnestly fulfil its responsibility for nuclear disarmament, make drastic cuts, and create conditions for the ultimate realisation of complete and thorough nuclear disarmament,” Guo said.
Beijing Highlights Different Nuclear Policies
Rejecting comparisons with Washington, Guo emphasised the vast disparity between the nuclear forces of the two countries.
“China’s nuclear strength is by no means on the same level as that of the United States. Our nuclear policy and strategic security environment are also completely different,” he said.
Guo reiterated that China maintains a “no first use” policy and keeps its nuclear arsenal at the minimum level necessary for national defence. “We never engage in an arms race with anyone,” he added, stressing that China’s nuclear policy contributes to global peace and stability.
Trump’s Push for Expanded Talks
Earlier this week, Trump said he wanted to open denuclearisation talks with both Russia and China, while also reviving stalled diplomacy with North Korea.
“I think the denuclearisation is a very, it’s big aim, but Russia is willing to do it, and I think China is going to be willing to do it too. We can’t let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons. The power is too great,” Trump told reporters.
He added that he raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin but avoided sharing details of their discussion.
Trump also argued that although “China is way behind,” it would “catch up in five years,” stressing: “We would like to denuclearise. It’s too much power, and we talked about that also.”
Global Context and Arms Control Treaty
The comments come amid renewed concerns over nuclear arms competition. A SIPRI report recently revealed that China now holds at least 600 nuclear warheads, while the US maintains 3,748, according to 2023 figures from the US Department of Energy.
Trump first outlined his intention to expand arms control efforts in February, saying he wanted to involve both Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in talks.
The urgency has grown as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last remaining arms control agreement between Washington and Moscow, is set to expire on February 5, 2026. The treaty, signed in 2010, limits the number of deployed strategic warheads and delivery systems for both sides.
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