China Opposes US Exit of Medium-Range Missile Treaty and Opposes Treaty Multilateralization


Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Yan Shuang 20190202 said that China opposes the US withdrawal and also opposes any new treaty that includes China.


When asked if China agreed to negotiate a new multilateral arms control treaty to replace the Medium-Range Missile Treaty, Yan Shuang clearly expressed his opposition, saying that the multilateralization of the Medium-Range Missile Treaty involves a series of political, military, legal and other complexities. The problem is that many countries are concerned about this.


The Medium-Range Missile Treaty between the United States and Russia is the first international arms control treaty since the Cold War that banned all types of weapons, especially ground-based cruise missiles with a maximum range of 5,500 kilometers.


The United States accuses Russia of continuing to violate the treaty for a long time. In addition, another reason for the withdrawal of the United States is that the United States is concerned that China, which has not joined the treaty, will gain military advantage by deploying missiles with a range exceeding the limits of the treaty.


A US-China Economic and Security Review Committee published a report on the 28th of last month, stating that the treaty has strict restrictions on missile development in the United States and Russia, but China, which is not subject to treaty, can rapidly expand its missile arsenal. The report said that China opposes the US withdrawal from the medium-range missile treaty and also opposes the inclusion of China in the treaty.