FM responds to Trump’s proposal to meet with Chinese, Russian leaders to discuss reducing nuclear weapons, cutting defense spending
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Friday responded to reports that US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he wants to meet with Chinese, Russian leaders to discuss reducing nuclear weapons and cutting defense spending.
According to AP, Trump said Thursday that he wants to restart nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China and that eventually he hopes all three countries could agree to cut their massive defense budgets in half.
Guo said that it is widely recognized around the world that the US and Russia possess over 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, and the nuclear disarmament must adhere to fundamental principles such as maintaining global strategic stability and ensuring that the security of all countries is not compromised.
As the countries with the largest nuclear arsenals, the US and Russia should earnestly fulfill their special priority responsibilities for nuclear disarmament, further significantly and substantively reduce their nuclear stockpiles, and create the necessary conditions for other nuclear-armed states to join the nuclear disarmament process. The international community has long reached a consensus on this, the spokesperson said.
Guo stressed that China strictly follows a nuclear policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, pursues a nuclear strategy of self-defense, and consistently keeps its nuclear capabilities at the lowest level necessary for national security, without engaging in an arms race with any country.
China is willing to work with all parties to firmly support a multilateral arms control mechanism centered around the UN and contribute to maintaining international peace and security, Guo said.
Regarding the defense spending, Guo emphasized that in 2024, US military spending accounts for 40 percent of global military expenditure, making it the world's largest military spender, exceeding the total military expenditure of the next eight countries combined. The US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 further increases military spending to approximately $895 billion.
"The US advocates for 'America First,' then it should set an example by prioritizing reductions in military spending," Guo said.
The spokesperson noted that China's defense expenditure is open, transparent, reasonable, and moderate. Compared to military powers like the US, China's defense spending is relatively low in terms of its proportion of GDP, its share of national fiscal expenditure, per capita defense spending, and per capita military personnel defense spending.
China adheres to the path of peaceful development and firmly pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China has always been a stabilizer in a turbulent world, a positive energy for international security, and an activist in maintaining peace, Guo said.
The facts have proven and will continue to prove that China's limited defense spending is entirely necessary for safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, as well as for maintaining world peace, Guo noted.