Is it reasonable for the United States and Russia to ask China and other nuclear weapons states to disarm, when Washington and Moscow retain the capacity to destroy the earth ’49 times over’? According to this editorial from China’s state-controlled Global Times, before asking Beijing to disarm, the U.S. and Russia had better cut their nuclear stockpiles to match China’s.
The Global Times editorial says in part:
“The United States and Russia are to cut their nuclear stockpiles so that rather than being able to destroy the Earth 50 times, they can only do so 49 times – and now they want others to follow? Do they think people are idiots?” This message from a Chinese Internet user – direct and a bit rough – represents the feelings of the vast majority of Chinese people. According to on online survey, 94 percent of our population is against Chinese nuclear disarmament. Those in the West who seek the early disarmament of China really ought to listen to these voices.
Right now, over 90 percent of the world’s warheads are in American and Russian hands, who retain absolute nuclear domination. Even if they cut their forces in half, which they ought to do, it would make little difference in terms of world peace. Moreover, while the U.S. and Russia have signed a protocol, they’ve taken no real action. Some American hawks are still shouting that the United States must maintain an even more powerful nuclear force. It’s hard not to be alarmed by views like this: some Americans are playing the same old moldy card: weakening other countries to strengthen their own and pushing disarmament on others to maintain its own nuclear superiority.
Before opening their mouths, those who want to talk about nuclear disarmament with the Chinese people will first have to understand China’s disarmament policy. In particular, certain “nuclear superpowers,” if they are sincere, should at least be more determined to cut the number of their own nuclear weapons to levels similar to China’s – and promise never to be the first to use them.
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