Engaged with the other permanent members of the UN Security Council to refuse any “
nuclear war
”, Beijing called on Tuesday, January 4, Washington and Moscow to reduce their arsenals and declared that it would continue to “
modernize
” its own.
Read alsoFive of the most powerful nations pledge to avoid nuclear war
In rare unanimity, the five powers (United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom and France - or "
P5
"), declared Monday with one voice that they are committed to preventing the spread of weapons atomic. They assured that a "
nuclear war could not be won and must never be waged
", insisting that these weapons "
as long as they exist, must serve for defensive purposes, deterrence and prevention of war
". This concept of unmanageable nuclear war was discussed in 1985 in Geneva by Soviet heads of state Mikhail Gorbachev and American heads of state Ronald Reagan. He had never been taken over by the P5.
Ahead of the 10th Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, scheduled for January but postponed to a later date due to a pandemic, the signatories also pledged to strengthen their measures to "
prevent unauthorized use or unintentional nuclear weapons
”.
"
It is indeed a historic document
," Fu Cong, director general of the arms control service at the Chinese foreign ministry, greeted the press on Tuesday.
Beijing regularly rejects Washington's invitations to join US-Russian talks on reducing their nuclear weapons, stressing that the arsenals of the Americans and the Russians are far larger than its own.
"Irreversibly reduce their nuclear arsenal"
According to estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), the United States has 5,550 nuclear weapons, and Russia 6,255 - compared to China's 350. “
The United States and Russia still own 90% of the world's nuclear warheads. They must reduce their nuclear arsenal in an irreversible and legally binding manner,
”said Fu Cong. British and American media have published information in recent months that Beijing has reached a high level of expertise in so-called "
hypersonic
missiles."
"- with a more unpredictable trajectory and capable of carrying nuclear warheads. They say China has tested a new hypersonic missile capable of launching a projectile in turn, a technology that neither the United States nor Russia currently has.
"
China has always adopted the policy of non-first use of nuclear weapons and we maintain our nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for our national security
," said Fu Cong. “
China will continue to modernize its nuclear arsenal for reliability and security issues. Nuclear weapons are aging, too. We need to make sure ours are up to date and can act as a deterrent.
"In full negotiations with Iran, suspected of wanting to acquire the atomic bomb, the P5 on Monday underlined its"
ultimate objective
"of a world"
free of nuclear weapons
", according to a statement from the French presidency which coordinates the work of these countries.
"Reduce the level of international tensions"
On Monday, Moscow welcomed a statement that "would
help reduce the level of international tensions
."
The engagement of the five powers comes one week from a Russian-American negotiation in Geneva on nuclear arms control treaties and the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Statements have multiplied recently on the volatile nature of global geopolitics, between Sino-American tensions over Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, the noise of boots in Ukraine and multiple crises in the Middle East.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, was himself alarmed in December in a forum.
“
Considering the stockpiling of over 13,000 nuclear weapons in arsenals around the world, how long can our luck last?
He wondered.
The NPT, which entered into force in 1970 to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, has 191 states parties.
Read alsoNuclear weapon: Washington, Moscow, Beijing, London and Paris undertake to prevent its dissemination
Monday's five signatories are the five states legally recognized by the treaty as "
nuclear-weapon
".
Three other countries considered to be holders - India, Pakistan and Israel - are non-signatories.
North Korea for its part denounced the NPT.
The P5 statements also come as negotiations have resumed in Vienna to relaunch the 2015 Iran Nuclear Program Agreement (JCPOA) - which became moribund after the US withdrawal in 2018.