Nuclear security

CHINESE STATE MEDIA CALLS FOR BUILDING UP CHINA'S 'NUCLEAR DETERRENT' DUE TO 'BULLYING IMPULSE' OF U.S.

Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of an English daily tabloid published by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, urged his nation to expand its nuclear arsenal in response to "bullying" from the U.S. in a new editorial.

In the article published by The Global Times on Saturday, Hu argued that China needed to build up its stockpile of nuclear weapons as a "deterrent," as U.S. officials have been increasingly critical of the Chinese government amid the coronavirus pandemic. The editor argued that this would "safeguard national security."

"In the past, China's storage of nuclear weapons was deemed sufficient to generate adequate nuclear deterrent, however, it doesn't mean the same storage will be big enough in the future to curb US government's strategic ambitions and bullying impulse against China," Xijin wrote.