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| Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe Calls Nuclear Weapons for Self-Defense |
International Military - China has made "impressive progress" in developing new nuclear weapons. However, China will only use it for self-defense, and never use it in the first place.
This was revealed by the Chinese Minister of Defense, Wei Fenghe to the delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Sunday (12/6/2022). He made the comments in response to a question about reports last year of the construction of more than 100 new nuclear missile silos in eastern China.
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"China has always pursued the right path to develop nuclear capabilities to protect our country," Fenghe said.
He added that the nuclear weapons displayed at the 2019 military parade in Beijing - which included an upgraded launcher for China's DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile - were already operational and deployed. "China has been developing its capabilities for more than five decades.
It can be said that there has been impressive progress," he said. "China's policies are consistent. We use it for self-defense. We will not be the first to use nuclear weapons," Fenghe continued.
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He also said the ultimate goal of China's nuclear arsenal is to prevent nuclear war. "We are developing nuclear capabilities to protect the hard work of the Chinese people and protect our people from the catastrophe of nuclear war," he said.
The US State Department last year called China's nuclear build-up worrying and said it appeared Beijing was deviating from a decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimal deterrence. The US called on China to engage with it "in practical steps to reduce the risk of destabilizing the arms race".
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