Russia, China warn of new ‘arms race’
Russia and China yesterday warned that a new US missile test had heightened military tensions and risked sparking an arms race, weeks after Washington ripped up a Cold War-era weapons pact with Moscow.
The US and Russia ditched the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty this month after accusing each other of violating the accord. Washington said the agreement also tied its hands in dealing with other powers such as China.
The US Department of Defense announced on Monday it had tested a type of ground-launched missile that was banned under the 1987 INF agreement, which limited the use of nuclear and conventional medium-range weapons.
“The US has obviously taken a course towards escalation of military tensions. We won’t react to provocations,” Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told state news agency TASS.
“We will not allow ourselves to get drawn into a costly arms race.”
Ryabkov said the test showed Washington had been working on such missiles long before its official withdrawal from the deal.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said: “This measure from the US will trigger a new round of an arms race, leading to an escalation of military confrontation.”
He warned that the test “will have a serious negative impact on the international and regional security situation”.
The US should “let go of its Cold War mentality” and “do more things that are conducive to... international and regional peace and tranquillity”, Geng added.
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