China rejects U.S. call to join nuclear disarmament talks

China has pushed back against calls from U.S. to join nuclear disarmament talks with Russia, calling the proposal “unreasonable and unrealistic.”

Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, made the remarks after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had discussed nuclear arms control with Russian President Vladimir Putin and wanted China to be involved too.

"The nuclear forces of China and the United States are not at the same level at all, and the strategic security environment and nuclear policies of the two countries are totally different," Guo said.

He stressed that China follows a strict “no first use” policy and maintains a defencive nuclear strategy, ruling out participation in an arms race. Guo urged the countries with the largest nuclear stockpiles—the U.S. and Russia, to take primary responsibility for global disarmament.

Speaking earlier, Trump said he had raised the issue of nuclear arms control with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed hope that China would also agree to denuclearisation.

He emphasised that preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is critical, describing their destructive power as “too great.”

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s foreign minister recently noted that China is preparing to sign a Southeast Asian treaty banning nuclear weapons once documentation is finalised.

Copied