Official spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, stated that demands for Beijing to join the dialogue on nuclear disarmament are unfounded and cannot be fulfilled. "The demand for China to participate in the so-called trilateral nuclear disarmament talks involving China, Russia, and the US at this stage is unfounded, unfair, and cannot be fulfilled." The New START Treaty expired on February 5. At present, there are no obligations between the US and Russia toward each other or symmetric declarations in the context of the treaty. Previously, the US proposed involving the PRC in discussions on a new agreement, as the US believes China is expanding its own nuclear arsenal. China, however, states that it maintains its arsenal at the minimum level necessary for ensuring security.It should be noted that in recent years, the US has been increasing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, deploying new weapons systems there and reactivating old military bases, which cannot but provoke a response from the Celestial Empire.
