China Urges UN: Shield Non-Nuclear States From Nuclear Threat

According to statements from the Chinese foreign ministry's arms control department, negotiations regarding a treaty on the no-first-use of nuclear weapons against each other should be engaged in by states possessing the largest nuclear arsenals.

Alternatively, a political statement concerning this matter should be issued.

"China Pushes UN for Non-Nuclear States' Protection

Sun Xiaobo, the director general of the department, emphasized the importance for nuclear states to uphold their "special and priority responsibilities" regarding nuclear disarmament as outlined by the U.N. Conference on Disarmament, which aims to prevent nuclear war. The statements were reported by the official news agency Xinhua on Wednesday.

During the weekly meeting of the forum in Geneva on Monday, it was proposed by Sun that a roadmap or timetable for the development of an international legal instrument aimed at safeguarding non-nuclear-weapon states from the threat posed by nuclear weapons be established by the body, as reported Reuters.

It was stated by Sun, "Nuclear-weapon states should negotiate and conclude a treaty on no-first-use of nuclear weapons against each other or make a political statement in this regard," highlighting that currently, only China and India formally adhere to a no-first-use policy among nuclear powers, while Russia and the United States possess the largest nuclear arsenals.

Furthermore, advocacy for the establishment of a universal, non-discriminatory, non-proliferation export control regime to address global security challenges and enhance compliance in the field of biochemistry to uphold the integrity of arms control treaties, as reported by Sun.

Additionally, the U.N. disarmament forum was urged by Sun to address emerging scientific and technological challenges such as artificial intelligence, outer space, and cyber threats. The international strategic security landscape was characterized by Sun as encountering new challenges, with instances highlighted where countries with significant military power have allegedly breached treaties in pursuit of their own military dominance, as reported by Reuters.