Furthermore, the U.S. called for the conclusion of a new, more comprehensive treaty on strategic arms control, which should also involve China.
The Chinese ambassador for disarmament, Shen Jian, while not directly responding to the accusations, noted that his country behaves "moderately and responsibly" regarding nuclear weapons. He also accused the United States of escalating the arms race. Robert Floyd, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, added that during the period in question, their monitoring systems did not detect any suspicious activities. China signed this treaty but has not ratified it.
These statements came against the backdrop of the expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III) between Russia and the U.S., which was signed in 2010 and expired on February 5. Thus, for the first time since 1972, both countries found themselves without formal restrictions on the deployment of nuclear missiles and warheads. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, previously proposed not to extend this treaty but instead to conclude a new, "improved and modernized" one, with China's mandatory participation.
However, Beijing emphasizes that it has no intention of participating in such negotiations, pointing out that it possesses about 600 nuclear warheads, while Russia and the U.S. each have approximately 4,000.
