China rejects US-Russia nuclear disarmament talks

China has said that it will not join nuclear disarmament talks with the United States and Russia, rejecting President Donald Trump’s call for trilateral negotiations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, it is neither reasonable nor realistic to expect China’s participation due to unequal nuclear capabilities. The countries with the largest nuclear arsenal should earnestly fulfil their special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament, Guo said. According to 2024 data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the United States holds 3,708 nuclear warheads and Russia 4,380. China has 500 up from 410 in 2023. France follows with 290 and the United Kingdom with 225.

"I think the denuclearisation is ... a big aim. But Russia's willing to do it and I think China is going to be willing to do it too," Trump said on Monday, in a bid to denuclearise both countries. "We can't let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons." A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was "neither reasonable nor realistic" to expect Beijing to participate in the discussions. cy and strategic security environment are also completely different," Guo said. Noting China follows a policy of "no first use" of nuclear weapons and a nuclear strategy that focuses on self-defense, he said China always keeps its nuclear strength at the minimum level required by national security, and never engages in arms race with anyone.