China ‘gravely concerned’ by reported US nuclear strategy shift

China said it was “gravely concerned” after The New York Times reported this week that President Biden had secretly shifted the U.S. nuclear strategy to focus on countering Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday during a press conference that the U.S. was using the argument of China as a nuclear threat as a “convenient pretext to shirk its obligation of nuclear disarmament, expand its own nuclear arsenal, and seek absolute strategic predominance.”

“The size of China’s nuclear arsenal is by no means on the same level with the U.S.,” Mao added. “China follows a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and a nuclear strategy that focuses on self-defense, and always keeps its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required by national security. “

Mao accused the U.S. of being the aggressor for having the “largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world,” while pursuing a rapid modernization of its weapons. She also slammed the U.S. for holding a first-use policy, though Washington says it will only use a weapon of mass destruction in the event of an invasion or major attack.

“We have no intention to engage in any form of arms race with other countries,” Mao added. “It is the U.S. who is the primary source of nuclear threats and strategic risks in the world.”

Chinese state media also published articles this week pinning the blame for nuclear tensions on the U.S. and urging the Pentagon to stop escalating an arms race.

Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategic plan that for the first time focuses on China’s expansion of its nuclear arsenal, according to The Times report.

The document, part of an update on nuclear policy every four years, also seeks to confront the growing threat of coordinated nuclear challenges from Russia, China and North Korea.

The U.S. and Russia currently have the most nuclear weapons in the world by a wide margin, but China is rapidly catching up. The Pentagon said Beijing is on track to have 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030.

The Biden administration has acknowledged the growing threat of China’s nuclear arsenal and the need to confront it, a strategy that has wide support from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

In a June speech, Pranay Vaddi, the top official on arms control at the White House’s National Security Council, also announced the U.S. shifted strategy to focus on China and the growing threat of nuclear-armed nations.

He said the U.S. faced “a new and dangerous era marked by evolving proliferation risks and rapid changes in technology.”

“There should be no question — we have adjusted our strategy to account for a more complex and worsening security environment. But we are in no way abandoning our principles. We are taking a more competitive approach,” Vaddi said at the time, adding the U.S. would continue to focus on preventing the use of nuclear weapons and only field the weapons needed to deter.

The U.S. is pursuing a more than $1 trillion modernization of its nuclear triad, pivoting to new intercontinental ballistic missiles, bomber planes and submarines. The new missiles, called Sentinel, have exploded in cost, while there are also troubles with the B-21 Raider and the Columbia-class nuclear-armed submarine.