China has minimal nuclear arsenal, seeks no arms race with US: white paper

China will not seek a nuclear arms race and opposes the United States’ deployment of offensive missiles in Asia, according to Beijing’s latest white paper on nuclear policy.

The paper – titled “China’s Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in the New Era” – updates the previous 2005 version of the document.

In the white paper released on Thursday, Beijing said it had consistently kept its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security.

Beijing has long underscored its “no first-use” nuclear policy, and has pledged to unconditionally refrain from using nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states or in nuclear-free zones.

While not naming the US, the white paper said “some countries” had been promoting deterrence in the Asia-Pacific region and were adjusting their nuclear policy, which threatened global security.

  

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