ZCZC
BFF-26
US-RUSSIA-POLITICS-NUCLEAR-CHINA
US must ‘think twice’ about nuclear treaty pullout: China
BEIJING, Oct 22, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – China on Monday called on the United
States to “think twice” about its decision to ditch a Cold War-era nuclear
weapons treaty with Russia.
US President Donald Trump announced over the weekend his plan to withdraw
from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which banned ground-
launch nuclear missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500 kilometres (300 to
3,500 miles).
But Trump said the Russians had been violating it “for many years” and that
China, not a signatory, remained free to develop such weapons.
Two top Republican lawmakers backed Trump’s worries about China on Sunday,
saying there are concerns the treaty is holding the US back while allowing
China to move forward with its own developments.
“It needs to be emphasised that it is completely wrong to bring up China
when talking about withdrawal from the treaty,” said Chinese foreign ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying Monday.
The treaty has played an important role in advancing the disarmament
process and maintaining a strategic balance and global stability, Hua said.
“Unilateral withdrawal will have a multitude of negative effects,” she told
a regular news briefing.
Hua said China hoped the relevant parties can “think twice about the issue
of withdrawing,” in a reference to the US.
On Sunday Republican Senator Lindsey Graham backed Trump’s plan to withdraw
from the nuclear accord, saying the US needed to be free to respond to a
Chinese nuclear build-up.
Washington has complained for nearly two years that a ground-launched
missile system deployed by Russia breaches the treaty.
Another senior Republican, Senator Bob Corker, said on CNN that he hoped
Trump’s stance was designed merely to pressure Russia to return into
compliance.
The landmark treaty was signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and
led to nearly 2,700 short- and medium-range missiles being eliminated.
It put an end to a mini-arms race in the 1980s triggered by the Soviet
Union’s deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles targeting Western European
capitals.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1633 hrs