China Reacts After Russia Says It Intends To Change Nuclear War Policy

China on Monday reiterated that nuclear weapons should not be used after its quasi-ally Russia warned it intends to change its policy on such weapons because of what it says is Western escalation of the war in Ukraine.

"China has repeatedly reiterated that nuclear weapons cannot be used or that a nuclear war cannot be fought," said spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning during a press conference in Beijing. She was responding to comments by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Ryabkov on Sunday told Russian state news agency Tass that there is a "clear intent" to make changes to the country's nuclear doctrine, saying that this decision was related to escalation by Western "adversaries" of the Ukraine conflict.

According to Reuters, Russia's existing 2020 nuclear doctrine stipulates that it may employ its nuclear arsenal in the event of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state. However, Ryabkov did not elaborate on when any updated nuclear doctrine would be ready.

"Under the current circumstances, all parties should remain calm and exercise restraint, and jointly promote de-escalation and reduce strategic risks through dialogue and consultation," Mao added.

Mao mentioned that five nuclear-weapon states—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States—issued a joint statement on preventing nuclear war on January 3, 2022, a month before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his "special military operation" in Ukraine.

The five states are officially recognized as possessing nukes by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT. Four other states—India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea—are known or believed to possess nuclear weapons as well.

"We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," according to the joint statement.

It also stressed that the use nuclear weapons would have far-reaching consequences, and therefore they "should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war."

Putin warned in June about the possibility of his country using nuclear weapons.

"If someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal," he said. "This should not be taken lightly, superficially."

The Ukrainian counteroffensive into Kursk, the first time Russian territory has been seized since World War II, has caused some concern as a result of Putin's comments. Kyiv's offensive has also led Moscow to accuse Ukraine of attempting to attack a nuclear power plant.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated that as of January this year, Russia maintains the largest nuclear stockpile in the world with 4,380 deployed or stored warheads. The U.S., China, France and the U.K. have 3,708, 500, 290 and 225 nukes, respectively.

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