BEIJING: The United States should put into practice “America First” and be the first to cut its nuclear arsenal and military expenditure, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.
It is incumbent upon the United States, a country in possession of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, to fulfill its special and primary responsibilities for nuclear disarmament and further make drastic and substantive cuts to its nuclear arsenal, said Wu Qian, the spokesperson, at a press conference.
His statement was in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks that he plans to have nuclear arms control talks with China and Russia, as well as his proposal to cut the three countries’ defense budgets by half.
Wu reiterated that China commits itself to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, pursues a nuclear strategy of self-defense, and keeps its nuclear strength at the minimum level required for national security.
On defense budget, the spokesperson noted that U.S. defense spending has topped the world for many years and is higher than that of the following eight countries combined.
“I believe that the United States should put into practice ‘America First’ in this regard and be the first to cut its nuclear arsenal and military expenditure,” he said.
China urges U.S. to withdraw probe into copper imports
China’s Ministry of Commerce on Thursday urged the United States to withdraw its Section 232 probe into copper imports as soon as possible, stating that its so-called accusation that China uses subsidies and excess capacity to undermine competition is entirely unfounded.
He Yadong, spokesperson for the ministry, made the remarks at a press conference while responding to a query about the U.S. move to launch a Section 232 investigation into imported copper.
“The U.S. investigation is a unilateral and protectionist act carried out under the pretext of ‘national security’,” He said, adding that the act will further undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system and disrupt the stability of global production and supply chains.
An experts panel from the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled as early as 2022 that the U.S. Section 232 tariff measures violate the WTO rules, according to the spokesperson.
Notably, China is a net importer of refined copper and exports only a small amount of copper products, He said.
If the United States insists on imposing additional tariffs and other restrictive measures, China will resolutely take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, he added.
Responding to the progress of consultation between the countries’ trade departments, the spokesperson said China is firmly opposed to the U.S. unilateral tariff measures and is willing to resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation.
