Beijing- China has firmly rejected Washington’s call to join nuclear arms reduction talks with the United States and Russia, arguing that the idea is both unreasonable and unrealistic.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday that China maintains only a limited nuclear arsenal strictly for national defense and cannot be compared with the massive stockpiles held by Washington and Moscow.

“The country with the world’s largest nuclear arsenal should take the lead in disarmament,” Guo stated, pointing at the United States. He added that Beijing upholds a strict “no first use” policy and has no intention of entering an arms race.

US President Donald Trump recently suggested that China should join discussions on reducing nuclear weapons after his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump claimed China could close the gap in nuclear capabilities within five years.

Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows a stark imbalance. Russia possesses about 2,591 warheads in storage and 1,718 deployed, while the US holds 1,930 in storage and 1,770 deployed. China’s arsenal is much smaller, with an estimated 576 warheads, of which only 24 are deployed. In comparison, the UK and France have 120 and 280 deployed warheads, respectively.

The US and Russia remain bound by the New START treaty, which limits deployed warheads to 1,550 each. Although extended until 2026, Russia suspended its participation in 2023 in response to US military support for Ukraine, though it said it would continue to observe the treaty’s limits.