China Ready to Collaborate with US and Russia on Nuclear Arms Reduction

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has expressed its willingness to collaborate with the United States and Russia to reduce nuclear weapons and cut defense spending.

This statement follows US President Donald Trump’s proposal for discussions on nuclear disarmament and defense budget reductions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun highlighted the importance of maintaining strategic stability and safeguarding global security.

“China stands ready to work with all parties to firmly support the multilateral arms control regime, with the UN at its core, and contribute to world peace and security,” Jiakun stated on Friday.

China’s position emphasizes the necessity of ensuring global strategic stability without compromising any nation’s security. With the US and Russia controlling over 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal, Jiakun urged both countries to take the lead.

“As the nations with the largest nuclear arsenals, the US and Russia should earnestly fulfill their special responsibilities for nuclear disarmament, further significantly and substantively reducing their nuclear stockpiles, and creating the necessary conditions for other nuclear-armed states to join the disarmament process,” Jiakun added.

China reaffirmed its “no first use” nuclear policy, emphasizing a self-defense-oriented nuclear strategy. Jiakun stressed that China maintains its nuclear capabilities at the lowest level necessary for national security and does not engage in an arms race with any other country.

On the topic of defense spending, Jiakun pointed to the global imbalance in military expenditures, noting that the US accounted for 40% of global military spending in 2024. The US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 has further increased military spending to approximately $895 billion.

“The US advocates for ‘America First,’ so it should set an example by prioritizing reductions in military spending,” Jiakun remarked.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Russia’s defense spending rose by 42% in real terms in 2024 to 13.1 trillion rubles ($145.9 billion), with further increases expected in 2025. In purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, Russian total military expenditure reached $462 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, the combined defense budgets of European countries were nearly $5 billion less than Russia’s spending. Over the last year, European defence spending jumped by 11.7% in real terms to reach $457 billion.

A report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), released in June 2024, revealed that all nine nuclear-armed states — the US, Russia, China, France, the UK, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea — expanded their arsenals, with an increase in operationally deployed nuclear weapons.

On Thursday, President Trump proposed initiating discussions with China and Russia to reduce their nuclear stockpiles and slash defense budgets by half.

“There is no reason to build new nuclear weapons when our existing arsenal can destroy the world 100 times over. Public funds could be spent on other things that are hopefully much more productive,” Trump stated during a White House briefing.

He also expressed a desire to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin once the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have settled.

With the US and Russia holding an estimated 10,805 nuclear warheads combined, according to the Arms Control Association, and Russia possessing the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, approximately 6,257 warheads, the stakes for global security remain high.

Trump’s proposal marks a shift from the traditional Republican defense stance, as he seeks to restart denuclearization talks with both nations.