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By Shane Croucher and John Feng
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China dismissed President Donald Trump's push for Beijing to join nuclear disarmament talks with the U.S. and Russia, calling it "neither reasonable nor realistic" and noting that its arsenal is much smaller than the other two powers'.
Trump had said at the White House during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung that he is pursuing denuclearization with Russia and China, noting that Beijing is behind on nuclear weapons but would catch up in five or six years.
Nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to the world. Conflicts such as that between Russia and Western-backed Ukraine, and potential conflicts such as between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, threaten to spark a nuclear war.
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According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a security think tank, nearly all nuclear powers are modernizing or expanding their arsenals.
China, SIPRI says, is growing its nuclear arsenal faster than anyone else. It has a total estimated inventory of 600 nuclear warheads, putting it third behind the U.S. in second and Russia in first, both with over 5,000.
China Maintains Nuclear Forces 'at Minimum Level'
At a press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun responded to Trump's remarks about denuclearization.
"The nuclear forces of China and the United States are not on the same scale at all," Guo said, originally in Chinese, state-run Global Times reported.
"Their nuclear policies and strategic security environments are also entirely different. To demand that China join China-U.S.-Russia trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations is neither reasonable nor realistic."
Guo said China has a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and that its strategy is based on self-defense, adding that it "always maintains its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security."
"China does not engage in an arms race with any country. China's nuclear forces and nuclear policy are an important contribution to world peace," Guo said.
Trump Calls for End to Nuclear Proliferation
On Monday, Trump had said he is seeking denuclearization with Russia and China. "It's very important," Trump said, noting he had discussed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their recent meeting in Alaska.
"I think denuclearization is a big aim, but Russia's willing to do it, and I think China's going to be willing to do it. We can't let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons. The power is too great."
Trump recently joined Israel in striking Iran's nuclear facilities to deter Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb, saying the U.S. would never allow that to happen.
During his first administration, Trump also pursued denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, meeting with North Korean President Kim Jong Un after the two leaders had exchanged threats of annihilation. But Pyongyang has since accelerated its nuclear weapons program.
The U.S. is currently developing its "Golden Dome" space-based missile defense system intended to protect America against the emerging threat of advanced, hypersonic weapons.
Update, 8/27/25, 5:50 a.m. ET: This article was updated with more information.
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