Beijing: US Exaggerates 'Chinese Threat' to Justify Nuclear Buildup
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United States is talking up the issue of the "Chinese threat" to use it as an excuse for building up its nuclear arsenal and maintaining military hegemony, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the US Defense Department published the 2022 China Military Power Report, which stated that Beijing could accelerate the pace of its nuclear forces modernization in the next decade and produce about 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, Sputnik reported.
"The United States has repeatedly inflated various versions of the Chinese threat theory in recent years to find an excuse to expand its own nuclear arsenal and maintain military hegemony, which is a common US reception," Zhao told a press briefing.
The international community can clearly see that China's nuclear policy has always been clear and consistent, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman added.
"Beijing has strictly adhered to a nuclear defense strategy and the policy of not using nuclear weapons first, maintains considerable restraint in the development of nuclear forces, and always maintains its nuclear forces at the minimum level necessary to ensure national security," Zhao said.
In addition, he recalled that Beijing had never participated in an arms race in any form.
In October, the United States released its 2022 National Security Strategy that labeled China as "the most consequential geopolitical challenge." The document labeled Beijing as the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and power, including military and economic, to do it.
