China has welcomed Kazakhstan's efforts in the field of nuclear weapon reduction, namely the proposal to hold a summit on the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2020) China has welcomed Kazakhstan's efforts in the field of nuclear weapon reduction, namely the proposal to hold a summit on the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday.
Earlier this week, former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed that the quadrilateral summit with the participation of Russia, the United States, China and the European Union on a phased reduction of nuclear arms be held in Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev's message was read out by Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday via a video link ahead of the International Day against Nuclear Tests celebrated on August 29.
"We appreciate the efforts by Kazakhstan and its First President Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev towards the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. China stands consistently for the comprehensive prohibition and complete elimination of nuclear weapons. We hold that nuclear disarmament should follow the principle of maintaining global strategic stability and undiminished security for all and proceed in a pragmatic manner," Zhao said at a press conference.
According to the diplomat, countries with the largest nuclear arsenal have "special and Primary responsibilities" in nuclear arms reduction. Zhao added that the international nuclear arms control system was currently facing grave challenges.
"The US should act in a responsible attitude and respond to Russia's positive call for New START extension, and on that basis, further drastically reduce its nuclear stockpile to create conditions for other countries' participation in nuclear disarmament," the spokesman noted.
Following the Vienna talks on the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) earlier in August, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that the priorities of the two countries Russia and the US are "very different" at the moment. According to the diplomat, US did not rule out extending New START, but declined to record this intention. As for Russia, it is not ready to extend the treaty at any cost. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Washington put forward unrealistic conditions for preserving the treaty, which is the last document in the field of nuclear arms control.
