Despite taking steps to modernize its nuclear forces, a senior Chinese official denied that his country’s nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding, according to the Associated Press.
According to Fu Cong, director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s arms control department, China is working to ensure that its nuclear deterrent meets the minimum required for its defense.
“On the assertions made by U.S. officials that China is expanding its nuclear capabilities dramatically, first, let me say that this is untrue,” he said at a briefing in Beijing on January 4.
According to a report released in November by the U.S. Defense Department, China’s nuclear arsenal has grown faster than expected, and by 2030, it could have over 1,000 warheads.
The briefing came a day after China, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France released a joint statement on avoiding nuclear war or an arms race, the AP reports. The announcement was intended to coincide with the start of a United Nations global conference on disarmament, but the forum was postponed due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
President Biden’s administration is reviewing the country’s nuclear posture. Still, significant changes appear unlikely given reports of China’s growing nuclear arsenal and tensions with China over Taiwan and Russia over Ukraine.
Based on satellite imagery, analysts from the U.S. Department of Defense claim that China is building missile silos in its northwestern desert. Its test of a hypersonic missile last summer alarmed the U.S., according to the AP.
Fu did not confirm the missile silos, but he did say that the size of China’s nuclear arsenal should not be estimated based on satellite images.
Considering a changing security environment in Asia, he said he believes China must take steps to ensure its nuclear force is adequate. He cited U.S. talk of deploying non-nuclear intermediate-range missiles in the region. India, like its neighbor Pakistan, has nuclear weapons.
“If they have reduced to our level, we will be happy to join,” Fu said. “The two superpowers must… drastically reduce their nuclear capabilities to a level comparable to China’s, and for that matter, France, and the United Kingdom’s, so that other nuclear states can join in this process.”
Fu also called for the U.S. to lift sanctions against Iran and for Iran to stick to its nuclear commitments. Iran has been talking with the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to restore a 2015 agreement that exempted Iran from sanctions in exchange for nuclear-related restrictions. In 2018, former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement.