China warns US to think carefully about withdrawing from INF Treaty
China believes that the INF helps maintain global stability and that Washington should not mention Beijing when withdrawing from this treaty.
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Spokesperson Hua Chunying at a press conference in the middle of this year. Photo:AFP. |
"It is completely wrong for the US to mention China when deciding to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Unilaterally terminating the agreement will cause many negative consequences, the US needs to think carefully about the problems arising when withdrawing from the INF,"AFPquoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying as saying.
"The INF Treaty plays an important role in the disarmament process, as well as maintaining strategic balance and global stability," Ms. Hoa added.
US President Donald Trump announced his withdrawal from the INF on October 20, saying that Russia has repeatedly violated the agreement by developing the Novator 9M729 missile system with a range of up to 5,000 km. The INF was signed by Washington and Moscow in 1987, prohibiting both sides from developing all types of ground-launched cruise missiles with a range of 500 - 5,500 km.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, announced his support for the US President's decision, affirming that Washington needs to be freed from the INF to deal with Beijing's nuclear buildup. Meanwhile, the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Corker hopes that Trump's decision is only to urge Russia to implement the terms of the INF.
The US and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of violating the terms of the INF. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in June that the US had begun building facilities to deploy ground-based missile launchers in Europe, a direct violation of the INF. In August 2018, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed concern about the US deployment of a missile defense system in Europe, specifically in Romania and later Poland.