China called on the United States and Russia to take the lead in reducing their nuclear stockpiles in an international non-proliferation and disarmament meeting on Sunday in Beijing. From Reuters via the Taipei Times:
“China’s basic position is that it’s up to others to make the first move in this respect, in particular the United States and Russia,” said Gareth Evans, a former Australian foreign minister, after a meeting of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament in Beijing.
[…]China holds about 240 nuclear warheads, compared to the 9,400 held by the US and 13,000 held by Russia, the Federation of American Scientists recently estimated.
But the Pentagon has said China is the only major nuclear power still expanding its arsenal. The People’s Liberation Army has been deploying new ballistic missiles and developing a generation of atomic submarines capable of launching missiles with nuclear warheads, observers have said.
