Chinese Journalist Hu Xijin: China Should Expand Its Nuclear Arsenal In Order To 'Fundamentally Deter' The United States

Chinese journalist Hu Xijin, the former Editor-in-Chief of the Chinse Global Times media outlet, said in a video published to the outlet's YouTube channel on October 25, 2023 that the Chinese people are confused regarding America's intentions to prevent an armed conflict, since the U.S. has been flying reconnaissance missions off the Chinese coast and has been encouraging the Taiwanese independence movement. He said that China wants to avoid war, but should expand its nuclear arsenal in order to "fundamentally" deter the United States, which he said must make "fundamental adjustments" to its policies.

Hu  Xijin: "Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, will visit the US soon. Analysts say his visit will pave the way for the Chinese and American heads of state to meet face-to-face next month. Apparently, both Beijing and Washington want to manage the differences between China and the US, but their understanding and positions on how to do so diverge.

"I believe the majority of Chinese people are confused about what the US truly intends. The US constantly argues that they wish to prevent the differences and competition between the two countries from evolving into conflicts, and that they have no intention to contain or decouple from China. However, the behaviors of the US, and what Chinese people witness are significantly different.

"US military aircraft often conduct reconnaissance missions very close to the Chinese coastline, clearly for collecting intelligence on China's coastal military targets and preparing for an attack on China in the event of a conflict. Under those conditions, how can the PLA not scramble its aircraft to intercept US reconnaissance planes? This is a basic requirement for China's national security. Just imagine, if Chinese military planes flew repeatedly near the US territory to gather intelligence, would the US military not scramble its planes to expel us?

"Furthermore, the US has the ability to suppress "Taiwan independence", but the signals it sends to the authorities in the Taiwan region are the opposite. The US indulges the Democratic Progressive Party to continue moving towards 'Taiwan independence'. Also, the US's attitude toward technology decoupling is so absolute that its negative impacts on China-US trade continue to expand. And the additional tariffs imposed during the Trump administration have yet to be lifted. Chinese people feel that the US says one thing and does another. Many Chinese people hold a pessimistic attitude towards the possibility of China and the US ultimately avoiding a war.

"Given the potential of armed conflict, I personally strongly support China expands its nuclear arsenal in order to fundamentally deter the US. If the US treats China as another Soviet Union, strategic tensions between the two countries would spiral out of control. I believe that, as the strategic initiator, the US needs to make fundamental adjustments."