China hopes U.S. will adopt no-first-use nuclear policy

BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- China hopes the United States will earnestly diminish the role of nuclear weapons in national security policies and adopt the policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on reports that some U.S. scholars have suggested the U.S. government should commit to no-first-use of nuclear weapons, as the five Nuclear-Weapon States have agreed that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."

Wang said China is the only country among the five Nuclear-Weapon States that has promised not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. This policy plays an important role in reducing nuclear risks and preventing nuclear wars, and is widely recognized and welcomed by non-nuclear-weapon states.

China hopes the five states can proceed from the leaders' joint statement on preventing nuclear war, give up nuclear deterrence policies based on the first use of nuclear weapons, and pledge never to use nuclear weapons first against each other and conclude international legal instruments after negotiation, Wang said.

The international community looks forward to positive impacts this joint statement could bring to the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review, he said.

"We hope the U.S. government can heed the call at home and abroad, earnestly diminish the role of nuclear weapons in national security policies, exercise restraint on the building and deployment of strategic capabilities, and adopt the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons," said Wang.

In the meantime, China hopes certain U.S. allies can follow the expectation of the international community, and actively support rather than vehemently obstruct the U.S. adoption of the policy, he added.