Disarmament agenda viewed as vitally important for international community
Vladimir Makei. An archive photo
MINSK, 24 February (BelTA) - The disarmament agenda is of paramount importance to the entire international community, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said as he addressed the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament, BelTA has learned.
“It is important to understand that in the face of the security crisis, turbulence and growing contradictions among key world players, the disarmament agenda is gaining a paramount importance for the entire international community, he said.
He believes that the disregard for the international disarmament and arms control agreements breeds mistrust, creates threats of military confrontation and the preconditions for conflict.
The warning, contained in a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted the status of New START arms control talks with Russia.
“In the case of China, we are witnessing the single greatest expansion of a nuclear arsenal since the dawn of the Cold War,” Mr. Billingslea stated in his Jan. 14 letter.
A chart based on intelligence data made public Thursday by the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance concluded that Chinese missile production capacity grew by 180% since 2010. The chart was first presented during a briefing for America’s NATO allies three weeks ago.
Additionally, the intelligence indicates that 80% of Chinese missiles were conventionally armed and just 20% were nuclear-tipped in 2010. By contrast, 40% of China’s current missile force today is nuclear-capable with the remaining 60% armed with conventional explosives. The expansion of missile forces accelerated under President Xi Jinping, who took power in 2012.