China reacted to a US report that said Beijing had significantly increased its nuclear arsenal. It claimed that it upholds its stance against using nuclear weapons as a first resort.
The news
- Beijing would probably have 1,500 nuclear weapons, according to a study on China’s security that the Pentagon published every year.
- Presently, China has 350 nuclear warheads.
- Russia had 5,977 nuclear weapons in its arsenal as of 2022, compared to the US’s 5,428.
‘No First Use’ Doctrine: What is it?
NFU is a pledge to never deploy nuclear weapons first in any situation, including as a pre-emptive strike, first strike, or in reaction to any form of non-nuclear attack, according to nuclear ethics and deterrence theory.
Where do nuclear-armed countries stand on No First Use?
- China is the only nuclear-armed country with an unwavering NFU policy.
- India still adheres to its NFU policy, with the exception of a response to chemical or biological attacks.
- According to their different policies, France, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the UK, and the US may use nuclear weapons first in a conflict.
- Israel doesn’t have a position that is known to the public because it denies possessing a nuclear arsenal.
Why push for worldwide NFU commitments at this time?
- After the US bombed Japan, there have never been any situations that may have led to a nuclear exchange.
- We run acceptable high chances of nuclear weapons use between and in addition to the unstable situation on the Korean peninsula.
- Putin and NATO amid the ongoing invasion by Ukraine
- Pakistan and India Nuclear weapons are acquired by jihadists
- US and China: As a result of provocations regarding Taiwan and the South China Sea
- The likelihood that nuclear weapons will be used—whether intentionally, unintentionally, or as a result of error—is actually at its highest point since the darkest days of the Cold War.
- The establishment of a worldwide NFU would make the world safer right away by eliminating confusion regarding what a nuclear-armed nation may do in an emergency.
- It takes away the pressure and motivation for any one nation to “go nuclear” first in a crisis and impose a moral duty on others.
Consequences of nuclear war
- Any nuclear weapon use would trigger severe retaliation.
- Not to mention the terrible fallout from a nuclear conflict.
- According to a 2014 study, a purportedly “limited” nuclear conflict in South Asia involving the use of 100 nuclear weapons would have global repercussions.
- The atmosphere would be filled with millions of tonnes of smoke, which would cause temperatures to drop and harm the world’s food supply.
- There would be a risk of starvation-related death for two billion people.
Way Ahead
- Making nuclear weapons unimportant to national security would require the implementation of Global No First Use.
- These measures would render nuclear weapons useless in the perspective of military strategists, open the way for future nuclear disarmament talks, and hasten the destruction of these weapons.
- Additionally, it would act as a “confidence-building measure” to increase mutual trust between nuclear-armed nations.
- As a result, cooperation is made easier in the effort to lower nuclear hazards and finally get rid of all nuclear weapons.