China Calls on US to Reduce Its Nuclear Arsenal - Representative to NPT Conference

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - China calls on the United States to show responsibility as a nuclear power and significantly reduce its nuclear arsenal, Ding Tongbing, the division director of the Arms Control Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said at the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference.
Sputnik
Ding stressed that the United States had a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons and this posed a threat to the international peace and security.
"China urges the United States to concretely show the responsibility ... and to commit to a substantial and substantive reduction of its nuclear arsenal in an irreversible and verifiable manner. Only by doing so, the United States will restore the trust of the international community," the Chinese diplomat said.
He also called on the United States to change its approach to the foreign policy, conduct it on the basis of mutual respect and develop productive dialogue with China to create necessary conditions for the negotiations on arms control.
According to Ding, China is keeping its nuclear arsenal at the lowest possible level enough for ensuring its national security.
He added that China would never enter an arms race and would never be the first party to a conflict to use nuclear weapons.
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