China slams U.S. nuclear expansion

On February 5, 2018, China’s defense ministry released a statement strongly opposing the newly published United States nuclear doctrine. Published on the ministry’s official WeChat account, the statement accused the U.S. Defense Department of making absurd assumptions about China’s development plans and exaggerating the threat of Chinese nuclear forces, noting that peace and development are irreversible global trends.

The policy document, the first update to the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review since 2010, advocates for the extensive modernization of U.S. nuclear weapons, infrastructure, and delivery systems, including land-based ballistic missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and air-delivered weapons. It also recommends the deployment of low-yield weapons, defined as smaller bombs with an explosive strength below 20 kilotons. This represents a significantly more hawkish stance than the policy of the Barack Obama administration, which had sought to limit the military role of nuclear weapons.

While President Donald Trump stated that the updated strategy would make the use of nuclear weapons less likely, the head of the Arms Control Association advocacy group in Washington criticized the development of new weapons as dangerous, Cold War thinking.

The policy also drew criticism from Russia, where the foreign minister described the document as confrontational and expressed deep disappointment over fears of an increased risk of miscalculation. Beyond Russia, the review designated North Korea as a clear and grave threat, warning that any nuclear attack against the United States or its allies would result in the end of the North Korean regime.