China Calls for No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons, Says Nuclear Countries Must Fulfill Their Responsibilities

China is now calling for a no-first-use treaty among countries with massive nuclear arsenals. The Chinese foreign ministry's arms control department also urges the United Nations to protect non-nuclear weapons states.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Arms Control Department's Director General Sun Xiaobo called out nuclear states to fulfill their "special and priority responsibilities."

China Calls for No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons

(Photo : ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
View of the United Nations logo as the 2022 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons takes place at the United Nations in New York City on August 1, 2022.

During a Geneva weekly meeting on Monday, Feb. 26, Sun Xiaobo said that the UN Conference on Disarmament must define a timetable or roadmap for an international instrument.

He added that this international instrument should be able to protect countries and fewer nuclear weapons from the threats posed by other nuclear states.

What Sun Xiaobo said is quite surprising given the fact that China is one of the most feared countries when it comes to nuclear arsenal expansions.

"Nuclear-weapon states should negotiate and conclude a treaty on no-first-use of nuclear weapons against each other or make a political statement in this regard," explained the official via Yahoo News.

China Already Follows No-First-Use Policy

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China's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles are seen during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on October 1, 2019, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

As of the moment, China and India are the only two nuclear states that officially maintain a no-first-use policy. Other superpower nations, such as the United States and Russia don't formally follow this rule.

Aside from nuclear weapons, Sun Xiaobo said that the UN disarmament forum should also tackle the risks posed by artificial intelligence, space missions, and cyber technologies.

The Chinese official said that the international strategic security situation has new challenges since powerful states (in terms of military power) repeatedly broke treaties just to seek their "own absolute superiority."

China's Nuclear Arsenals Continue To Grow

According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' 2024 Nuclear Notebook, China's nuclear arsenals are growing significantly. As of writing, the Asian nation already has over 500 nuclear warheads.

But, China is expected to produce more to equip future delivery systems. Among the top nuclear states, China is considered to be one of the countries that have the fastest-growing nuclear arsenals.

In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense shared its predictions regarding China's nuclear weapons. The first one was that China would have 400 nuclear warheads. Since Beijing already has more than 500, it already exceeded this expectation.

The second prediction is that China could have over 1,000 operable nuclear weapons as early as 2030. DoD officials claim that the Asian nation could deploy these nuclear arsenals at "higher readiness levels."