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China "very worried" after US changed its nuclear strategy

2024-08-21 20:37:00Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
China "very worried" after US changed its nuclear strategy
China "very worried" after US changed its nuclear strategy

China said on Wednesday it is "very concerned" after the New York Times reported that the United States has adopted a secret plan to shift the focus of its nuclear strategy away from Russia to deal with Beijing's increased nuclear arsenal.

According to the article that the New York Times published on Tuesday evening, US President Joe Biden in March approved a "(new) guidance on the use of nuclear weapons", a secret document, which defines how the United States would use the weapons nuclear in a possible conflict.

According to the paper, the document, which is updated every four years, reorients the nuclear deterrence strategy to deal with the large-scale expansion of China's nuclear arsenal. The document also orders US forces to prepare to face "coordinated nuclear challenges" from China, Russia and North Korea, according to the paper.

Asked about the announcement during a press conference on Wednesday, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman accused the United States of "making up theories about China's nuclear threat" and "making excuses with the aim of creating strategic advantages".

"China is very concerned by this important announcement, and there are solid facts that the United States has repeatedly in recent years promoted so-called theories about China's looming nuclear threat," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning.

Russia did not comment on the article.

US nuclear policy for decades was largely focused on Russia, the only state with similar nuclear capabilities.

However, US officials have repeatedly warned that under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, the expansion of nuclear capacity is proceeding faster than expected.

According to a document that was made public late last year, the Pentagon estimates that the Chinese military has over 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal and will have over 100 nuclear warheads by 2030.

That amount is competitive with the United States, which has 3,700 operational nuclear warheads in its inventory, according to the US-based Arms Control Association.

Russia has about 4,380 nuclear warheads, including about 1,550 in strategic missile systems, according to estimates cited by the organization.

Given these amounts, Russia remains the "prime motivator" of the United States' nuclear strategy, association director Daryl G. Kimball said at Platform X.

According to Mr. Kimball, the New York Times op-ed exaggerates the changes made to the United States' nuclear weapons guidelines. He insists that there is no reorientation of priorities from Russia to China.

"Despite the expansion of China's nuclear capabilities, Russia's arsenal is far greater than China's — even after Mr. Xi's ambitious plan is implemented. Until this change, the focus will remain on Russia's arsenal," said the director of the Project on Nuclear Information at the Federation of American Scientists, Hans Kristensen.

"But planning against China is growing, as reflected in this document," he added on the X platform.

US officials have referred to the nuclear weapons document at least twice, without giving any details about its contents.

In June, the director of nuclear arms control at the White House National Security Council, Pranay Vaddi, said the new guidance "underscores the need to closely monitor the growth and diversity" of China's nuclear arsenal, as well as the need for measures preventive at the same time against Russia, China and North Korea.

According to Mr. Vaddi, the United States will continue to pursue a policy of limiting nuclear weapons with Russia and China, but "without changing the trajectory that Russia, China and North Korea are on," the United States "will they must continue to adapt their capabilities and approach to ensure we have the ability to prevent and meet our other goals in the future.”

US and Chinese officials often talk about the dangers of nuclear war, but efforts to develop a dialogue on the issue have failed.

Last year, US and Chinese officials agreed to hold negotiations on nuclear arms control ahead of the meeting between Presidents Biden and Xi. But China suspended the talks last month, citing US arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of it.

Many analysts are also concerned about increased military and diplomatic cooperation between Russia and China. In 2022, Presidents Xi and Vladimir Putin agreed to an "unlimited" partnership and have recently expanded joint military exercises in other areas as well.

Earlier this year, Russia returned to a Cold War-era bilateral defense treaty with nuclear-armed North Korea. The two countries have also shown interest in expanding cooperation in the field of defense.

Since the attack on Ukraine in 2022, Russian President Putin has repeatedly warned that he will use nuclear weapons against the Ukrainian forces, supported by the West./VOA


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