Beijing must strengthen its nuclear arsenal to “force the US to respect it” in response to the stance of US President Donald Trump, a leading Chinese newspaper said yesterday.
The comments in the Global Times came just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) called for the eventual global elimination of atomic weapons.
In recent days, Chinese social media has carried pictures purporting to show an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile system deployed in northeast China.
The Dongfeng-41 is reportedly a nuclear road-mobile missile thought to have a payload of 10 to 12 warheads and a range of 14,000km, according to the Global Times.
The Global Times said some media outlets claimed the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leaked the photographs as a warning to Trump.
“They think this is Beijing’s response to Trump’s provocative remarks on China,” it said.
Trump, who took office on Friday last week, has rattled Beijing with tough talk on trade and national security.
On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer warned China the US would “defend” US and international interests in the disputed South China Sea, where China has built a series of artificial islands capable of military use.
The Global Times said Trump had called repeatedly for a US nuclear arms build-up.
“China must procure a level of strategic military strength that will force the US to respect it,” it said.
The comments were in marked contrast to Xi’s speech at the UN days earlier.
“Nuclear weapons should be completely prohibited and destroyed over time to make the world free of nuclear weapons,” Xi said.
China has been a nuclear power since 1964.
The PLA has been flexing its muscles since Trump’s election, showing off upgraded combat aircraft and new fighters.
On Monday, the People’s Liberation Army Navy announced it had commissioned its fifth “carrier killer” guided-missile destroyer and delivered it to the North Sea Fleet.
The system is believed to be designed to deter the US Navy, which has the world’s largest number of carriers.
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