Chinese Media Outlet Beluga Defense: China Will Not Work With The U.S. And Russia To Reduce Its Nuclear Weapons; China Will Not Follow The Path Of The Soviet Union

On January 13, 2021, the Chinese media outlet Beluga Defense published a critique of a U.S.-led effort for China to join nuclear arms control negotiations.[1] With the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) set to expire in February,[2] Beluga Defense warns that the U.S. is spearheading efforts to rope China into trilateral negotiations with the U.S. and Russia. The article asserts that the U.S. insistence on China joining the negations is born of its concerns that China will replace its hegemony.

Condemning former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev and accusing him of having become a "lobbyist for the United States," Beluga Defense condescendingly suggests that "the best choice would be [for Gorbachev] to live an easy life at home in [his] old age."

The U.S. effort to bring China to the negotiating table are dismissed by Beluga Defense as " unrealistic and completely unreasonable," and it goes on to advise the U.S. to "get its mind right."

According to the critique, China should not have to negotiate the size of its nuclear arsenal because Chinese and U.S. nuclear arsenals "are not in the same order of magnitude at all," adding that the U.S. should "first reduce its nuclear arsenal to the same level as China's" if it were sincere about nuclear arms control negotiations.

Beluga Defense concludes that China will not follow the old path of the Soviet Union, and that the U.S. cannot make China give up its military achievements through arms control negotiations.

It is worth noting that in a January 20 interview with TASS, Gorbachev reiterated, "It is necessary to extend the New START, and it is possible, especially since Biden advocated for it during his election campaign."[3] On January 30, a U.S. State Department representative told TASS: "[W]e are optimistic that the extension, which obviously meets our national security interests, will be finalized before expiration on February 5."[4] On January 31, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the extension of New START can be seen as a "success of the entire thinking humankind."[5]

Below is the Beluga Defense critique:[6]

(Source: Baijiahao.baidu.com)

If The U.S. Ropes China Into The Negotiations, Then China Asks The U.S. To First Reduce Its Nuclear Arsenal To The Same Level As China's

"According to a January 11 [2021] report by ITAR-TASS, former Soviet president Gorbachev expressed his views on the U.S.-Russia arms control negotiations in an interview that day, saying that he and [then-]U.S. President-elect Joe Biden had met several times. Both he and Biden believe that pushing for the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is only the first step, and that the U.S. and Russia must adjust their military doctrines towards not being the first to use nuclear weapons. At the same time, [they] should attract other nuclear powers to participate in the nuclear weapons reduction negotiations.

"That day, Gorbachev did not say clearly which nuclear powers should be invited to participate in the negotiations, but the ITAR-TASS news agency believed that his spearhead must be directed at China. That is, he suggested that the incoming U.S. administration must pull China into the on-going U.S.-Russia arms control negotiations. The U.S.-Russia New START is set to expire next month.

"Although Russia has been calling on the U.S. to reach a consensus as soon as possible on the renewal of the Treaty, the White House insists on making trouble for no reason. It is demanding that China also join the arms control negotiations, and that if it does not [the U.S.] will not renew the treaty with Russia. The Russian side expressed firm opposition to this, stressing that is up to China to decide whether or not to join the arms control negotiations, and called on the U.S. to get its mind right.

"As to whether or not to participate in the U.S.-Russian arms control negotiations, China's Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated its position that China has no intention of participating in the so-called 'Sino-U.S.-Russian trilateral arms control negotiations.' The premise and foundation of the trilateral arms control negotiations advocated by the U.S. simply do not exist. It should be understood that the Chinese and U.S. nuclear arsenals are not in the same order of magnitude at all.

"China's nuclear warhead reserves are not even as large as the U.S.'s annual [warhead] reduction. The demands put forward by the U.S. representatives are unrealistic and completely unreasonable. Therefore, China cannot work with the U.S. and Russia to reduce its nuclear weapons. If the US is serious about bringing China into negotiations, then please first reduce its nuclear arsenal to the same level as China's.

'If [Gorbachev] Continues To Be Led By The Nose By The West, He Will Only Discredit Himself Further'

Mikhail Gorbachev (Source: Twitter.com/mgorbachev)

"The U.S. insists on roping China in to participate in the nuclear weapons reduction negotiations, and the purpose behind it is to make China give up its own military achievements. After all, after over 70 years of focused development, we have completely changed the face of poverty and backwardness. With the introduction of the Dongfeng-41 strategic nuclear missile, China's strategic nuclear strike force has also stepped into the forefront of the world. This makes the U.S., already hostile to China, uneasy and worried that China will replace its hegemony. Thus, [the U.S.] hopes to reduce our country's power through arms control negotiations.

"As the deadline of the treaty approaches, more and more countries in the world are dissatisfied with the importune practice of the United States, and demand that Washington reach a consensus with Moscow as soon as possible. It is obvious that the U.S.'s and Russia's gradual nuclear weapons reduction is a common aspiration of the international community. The people of the world know very well whether China has the conditions to join the United States and Russia in reducing nuclear weapons, and must not to be confused by a few lies by American politicians. Therefore, the U.S. must get its mind right and actively safeguard world peace and stability.

"What is surprising is that Gorbachev also wanted to wade into these muddy waters, willingly lobbying for the U.S. to invite China to join the arms control negotiations. As the last president of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev bears an inescapable responsibility for the disintegration of the Soviet Union. It was because he connived and acquiesced in the seizure of power by Yeltsin and other pro-American politicians that the Soviet Union, as a superpower, finally collapsed. It appears that Gorbachev did not learn from the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and has been completely fooled by Western countries.

"Although 30 years have passed since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, many countries, including China, have always kept the lessons of the Soviet Union in mind. Just as domestic experts have said, China will not follow the old path of the Soviet Union, and the U.S. cannot force China to give up its military achievements through arms control negotiations. For Gorbachev, perhaps the best choice would be [for him] to live an easy life at home in [his] old age. If he continues to be led by the nose by the West, he will only discredit himself further."