China’s delegation at the United Nations has launched a blistering critique of American nuclear policy, labeling the United States the primary "source of chaos" for global strategic stability. Speaking during the eleventh review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) on April 29, Beijing’s representatives characterized Washington’s recent arms control initiatives as a "disingenuous performance" designed to mask a massive expansion of its own nuclear arsenal.
This rhetorical escalation comes at a precarious moment for the global security architecture. Over the past two decades, the international community has witnessed the steady erosion of the post-Cold War treaty framework, beginning with the U.S. withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and followed by departures from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) and Open Skies agreements. Beijing argues that the lapse of the New START treaty represents the final unraveling of the guardrails that once prevented a headlong rush into a new arms race.
At the heart of the current dispute is Washington's push for "trilateral arms control" involving the United States, Russia, and China. Beijing has consistently rejected this proposal, viewing it as an attempt to equate China's relatively modest, though growing, arsenal with the massive stockpiles of the two nuclear superpowers. The Chinese delegation dismissed these calls as a "false narrative" aimed at transferring the special responsibility for disarmament away from the nations with the largest nuclear holdings.
Rather than accepting American-led frameworks, China is championing its own set of proposals centered on a "No First Use" (NFU) treaty among all nuclear-armed states. Beijing’s diplomats urged the U.S. to abandon its policy of "extended deterrence" and "nuclear sharing" arrangements with allies in the Asia-Pacific and Europe. They argue that these policies, combined with the deployment of advanced missile defense systems near the borders of other nuclear powers, have significantly heightened the risk of nuclear miscalculation.
Beijing’s representative ended the session with a direct challenge to the American delegation, stating that any genuine desire to improve international security must begin with a commitment to non-aggression and a rejection of "bullying" tactics. The exchange highlights a deepening diplomatic deadlock where both powers accuse the other of using arms control as a tool for strategic dominance rather than genuine peace-seeking.