China Says It Is ‘Seriously Concerned’ about US Nuclear Strategic Report 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Says It Is ‘Seriously Concerned’ about US Nuclear Strategic Report 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China is seriously concerned about a report that said the United Stated approved a nuclear strategic plan to focus on China's rapid expansion in its nuclear arsenal, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

"The US is peddling the China nuclear threat narrative, finding excuses to seek strategic advantage," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.

According to a report by the New York Times, US President Joe Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategic plan that focused on China's quickly growing arsenal, but also seeks to prepare the US for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from China, Russia and North Korea.

"China is seriously concerned about the relevant report, and the facts have fully proved that the United States has constantly stirred up the so-called China nuclear threat theory in recent years," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular press briefing.

The White House said on Tuesday that the classified nuclear strategic plan approved by Biden this year is not a response to a single country or threat.

The US has consistently pointed to China's expansive and growing nuclear weaponry. An annual report by the Pentagon last October said China had more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal and will probably have over 1,000 warheads by 2030.



Russia’s Medvedev Says There Will No Talks with Ukraine After Kursk Incursion 

A destroyed Russian tank sits on a roadside near the town of Sudzha, Russia, in the Kursk region, on Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo, File)
A destroyed Russian tank sits on a roadside near the town of Sudzha, Russia, in the Kursk region, on Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo, File)
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Russia’s Medvedev Says There Will No Talks with Ukraine After Kursk Incursion 

A destroyed Russian tank sits on a roadside near the town of Sudzha, Russia, in the Kursk region, on Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo, File)
A destroyed Russian tank sits on a roadside near the town of Sudzha, Russia, in the Kursk region, on Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo, File)

Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region means there will be no talks between Moscow and Kyiv until Ukraine is completely defeated on the battlefield, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, said on Wednesday.

"The casual chit-chat of self-proclaimed intermediaries on the virtuous subject of peace has ceased. Even if they cannot say it out loud, everyone recognizes the reality of the situation," Medvedev wrote on his official account on the Telegram messaging app.

"They understand that there will be NO NEGOTIATIONS UNTIL THE ENEMY IS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DESTROYED!"

Medvedev, who has styled himself as one of the Kremlin's toughest anti-Western hawks, said that the "premature and unnecessary peace" talks that had previously been suggested "had vague prospects and no tangible outcomes."