China: No Changes to 'No First Nuclear Strike Policy'

[Lankan Ranger]

China: No Changes to 'No First Nuclear Strike Policy'

China denies a Japanese media report that the People’s Liberation Army will consider launching a preemptive nuclear strike if threatened by another nuclear state.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei Thursday said Beijing has not changed its policy of never being the first to fire nuclear weapons in a war.

Hong says the Chinese government has pledged never to be the first country to use nuclear weapons - at any time or under any circumstances. He says reports that China is considering changing the policy are "groundless and out of ulterior motives.”

Japan’s Kyodo News agency Wednesday reported that the Chinese military will consider launching a preemptive nuclear strike if China faces a critical situation in a war with another nuclear state. The report relied upon internal People’s Liberation Army documents as its source.

Hong did not directly answer a question about reports that China is in the advanced stages of developing a new stealth fighter jet. But he repeated reassurances that China follows a path of peaceful development.

Hong says China’s national defense policy is defensive and poses no threat to any other country.

U.S. military officials say the new jet is a so-called fifth-generation jet that is designed to be harder to spot on radar. U.S. officials say the jet is years away from being deployed.

Recent media reports have been full of other Chinese military developments, including news that China is close to putting to sea an old Russian aircraft carrier purchased in 1998.

U.S. military officials also say they believe a new Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile, that carries a warhead capable of destroying an aircraft carrier, has reached "initial operational capacity.”
All this comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is due in Beijing next week, for the first visit by a U.S. defense secretary in five years.

The Chinese spokesman says his government always values its military relations with the United States, and hopes the Gates visit will increase further understanding and trust between the two militaries.

Military to military relations had been suspended because of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, a separately governed island that Beijing considers part of its territory.

China: No Changes to 'No First Nuclear Strike Policy'|China Military Power Mashup

 

[SpArK]

China: No Changes to 'No First Nuclear Strike Policy'

Good .. thats a sign of a responsible nation and i am happy to know china still adheres to it.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

We won't be the ones to strike first.

Our Jin-class Nuclear submarines, and our road-mobile ICBMs, are more than enough to guarantee a significant second-strike capability.

 

[siegecrossbow]

What country still practices first strike?

 

[SpArK]

What country still practices first strike?

No first use - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

What country still practices first strike?

Out of the five officially recognized nuclear weapons states, China is the only one with a "No first use" policy.

China is the only NPT nuclear-weapon state to give an unqualified negative security assurance to non-nuclear-weapon states and has a "no first use" policy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_weapons

Out of the unrecognized nuclear states, I think India also has this policy.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Out of the five officially recognized nuclear weapons states, China is the only one with a "No first use" policy.



List of states with nuclear weapons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Out of the unrecognized nuclear states, I think India also has this policy.

That is too bad. However if everyone had the no-first use policy we won't need nuclear weapons in the first place.

 

[chinautumn]

why China still stick to this policy while many countries in the world have no such a policy like this? if US,Russia or other nations nuke us first,can we survive and nuke them back?

 

[siegecrossbow]

why China still stick to this policy while many countries in the world have no such a policy like this? if US,Russia or other nations nuke us first,can we survive and nuke them back?

Why else do you think the JL-2 was such a big deal?

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

why China still stick to this policy while many countries in the world have no such a policy like this? if US,Russia or other nations nuke us first,can we survive and nuke them back?

PLA has emphasized for a strong reliable second-strike capability, if you can preserve 90% of your nuke stockpile after being nuked first by others, of course you can bring down the World along with you.

Since China has the nuke possession later than both US and Russia, so this no first strike policy is for political convenience. And UK and France both have the nuclear umbrella of US and being bundled together in a same boat, so they would follow what US said.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

Why else do you think the JL-2 was such a big deal?

Imagine in the coming decade, PLAN has 6 type 094 and many more type 096, these warmachines need to be armed with thousand of nukes, so who would be stupid enough to nuke China first?

No first strike is just for political convenience, CCP can adjust this policy anytime.

 

[Martian2]

why China still stick to this policy while many countries in the world have no such a policy like this? if US,Russia or other nations nuke us first,can we survive and nuke them back?

Yes. The "Underground Great Wall" of China ensures a second-strike. Also, road-mobile and rail-mobile ICBMs provide a different second-strike capability. As Siegecrossbow has said, China's SSBN retaliatory strike force is a formidable third option.

If the first three options don't work, unload all of the IRBM thermonuclear weapons based in Tibet on Russia. Russia will be forced to destroy the rest of the world to ensure a level playing field after the Nuclear Holocaust.

Major countries have underground military bases or cities. After emerging from the nuclear winter, the Russians have to ensure that the Americans and Chinese do not have an unfair advantage in the next war. Therefore, everybody on the surface (including all Americans) gets wiped out.

----------

From one of my previous posts:

Regarding the issue of whether China has an adequate number of nuclear ICBMs, I don't believe that this problem has been overlooked by the competent government of China.

1) China has the 5,000 KM "Underground Great Wall." You can hide a lot of ICBMs in a 5,000 KM underground facility. See Board Message

2) The 20 silo-based "city-buster" ICBMs (i.e. 1 to 4 megatons) alone can destroy 20 American cities. If you annihilate the top 20 American cities, you are talking about roughly 30 million dead plus nuclear fallout. This is called nuclear deterrence.

3) China has road-mobile and rail-mobile ICBM launchers.

China?s Nuclear Option | The Diplomat

"China’s Nuclear Option
April 26, 2010

By Richard Weitz

Chinese policymakers say the country’s rapidly modernizing nuclear force is nothing to fear. They could do more to prove it."

China's road-mobile ICBMs.

Rail-Mobile ICBMs enter Chinese arsenal

"Rail-Mobile ICBMs enter Chinese arsenal
Kanwa Information Center ^

Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 11:19:59 PM by Filibuster_60

Kanwa was informed that the development of train-borne DF31 ICBM is already completed, and the deployment of these missiles has also been prepared. The development of DF31A, a upgraded version of DF31, has also already been completed.

In order to further enhance the mobile nuclear striking power and the capability to survive attacks, China has developed new types of DF31 series ICBMs similar to the former Soviet Union train-borne SS-24. In normal days, these missiles are moved along the railroads, while at time of war, they can be transported to selected sites and then launch nuclear assaults upon the enemy. DF31 is manufactured in Sichuan at Sichuan Areospace Industry Corporation. Reliable sources from China military industry say the major difference between DF31 and DF31A lies in their warheads. The former has single warhead, while the latter has multi-warheads."

4) China has Type 094 submarines carrying JL-2 SLBMs.

China's most-powerful Jin-class SSBN nuclear deterrent.

5) Nuclear-capable DH-10 cruise missiles have been added to the Chinese nuclear arsenal.

6) I'm not trying to beat a dead horse. However, for the sake of completeness, I want to point out that "It is likely that a number of PRC cargo ships carry CSS-9 missiles to act as a sea-based nuclear response/strike force."

http://www.missilethreat.com/missilesofthe...sile_detail.asp

"The CSS-9 is an effective strategic system that has significantly increased the PRC’s nuclear strike capabilities. Though the PRC’s land-based systems are unable to directly threaten much beyond the west coast of the United States, the CSS-9 is a modern ICBM system that threatens Russia and India, two major PRC rivals. However, the CSS-9 missile system can easily reach all of the US with the placement aboard cargo ships disguised as shipping containers. The self-contained launch system could easily be placed on a PRC ship and launched against targets in the US. It is likely that a number of PRC cargo ships carry CSS-9 missiles to act as a sea-based nuclear response/strike force. Similarly, these containers could be smuggled into and stored in PRC controlled warehouses throughout the Americas. The modular nature of these modern missile systems makes them extremely dangerous since they do not need to follow tradition missile tactics. Even with modern satellite systems, the combination of hidden road and cross-country mobile launchers, missile silos, and rail/ship launchers make it impossible to destroy most of these missiles prior to launch."

7) China is developing the HN-2000 stealth cruise missile with a terminal supersonic phase. Just like the DH-10 cruise missile, it is reasonable to expect that the HN-2000 will also be nuclear-capable. See http://project2049.net/documents/assassin_...ise_missile.pdf

"Global Strike and the Chinese Anti-Ship Cruise Missile: HN-2000

China is currently developing its next-generation cruise missile, the Hong Niao-2000 (HN-2000). This missile will reportedly be equipped with millimeter wave radar, infrared image mapping, laser radar, synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) and the Chinese Beidou satellite guidance system, for accuracies of 1-3 meters. This missile will also incorporate the latest stealth technologies and have a supersonic terminal flight phase, with an expected range of 4,000km."

8) Have you ever watched the movie "WarGames"? A nuclear war between Russia and the U.S. will cause both nations to launch an all-out attack on all countries of the world. Russia and the U.S. will not foolishly destroy only each other and let China become the de facto superpower.

Similarly, in a nuclear exchange between the U.S. and China, China has plenty of thermonuclear SRBMs and IRBMs (especially the ones located in Tibet). China will "wipe out" most Russian cities. In retaliation, the Russians will take everyone else with them. Just as it was depicted in WarGames, Russian nuclear missiles will radiate to every major city in the world. Everybody dies, except for the lucky few in underground military facilities built to withstand a nuclear war.

In essence, China can "borrow" the Russian nuclear arsenal in the final exchange against the U.S. The Russians are not going to let the U.S. become the de facto superpower survivor.

http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2008/05/extens...ntral-china.php

"Extensive Nuclear Missile Deployment Area Discovered in Central China

More than 50 launch pads for nuclear ballistic missiles have been identified scattered across a 2,000 square kilometer (772 square miles) area of central China, according to analysis of satellite images.

By Hans M. Kristensen

Analysis of new commercial satellite photos has identified an extensive deployment area with nearly 60 launch pads for medium-range nuclear ballistic missiles in Central China near Delingha and Da Qaidam.

The region has long been rumored to house nuclear missiles and I have previously described some of the facilities in a report and a blog. But the new analysis reveals a significantly larger deployment area than previously known, different types of launch pads, command and control facilities, and missile deployment equipment at a large facility in downtown Delingha.

The U.S. government often highlights China’s deployment of new mobile missiles as a concern but keeps the details secret, so the discovery of the deployment area provides the first opportunity for the public to better understand how China operates its mobile ballistic missiles."

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

No first strike is just for political convenience, CCP can adjust this policy anytime.

Very true, this policy can easily be changed.

It's not necessary at the moment though.

 

[Martian2]

Very true, this policy can easily be changed.

It's not necessary at the moment though.

Actually, the CCP can change it as soon as it detects ICBMs headed towards China. When the early warning system (e.g. satellite detectors, over-the-horizon radars, etc.) detects incoming ICBMs, China can immediately order a retaliation. Technically, this is No-First-Use, but it will look like Simultaneous Use.

 

[ashok321]

India does not have NFU against China. India can strike China-Pakistan first with nuclear strikes.