Beijing Warns US Over Missile Plans In Asia

China warned on Tuesday that it would take countermeasures if the US goes ahead with plans to deploy ground-based missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.

"China will not stand idly by and will be forced to take countermeasures should the US deploy intermediate-range ground-based missiles in this part of the world," said Fu Cong, the director of arms control at the foreign ministry.

"And we also call on our neighbours, our neighbouring countries, to exercise prudence and not to allow a US deployment of its intermediate-range missiles on [their] territory," he added, naming Australia, Japan and South Korea.

The statement follows the US's withdrawal last week from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Fu said the move would have a "direct negative impact on the global strategic stability" as well as security in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

He said China was particularly concerned about announced plans to develop and test a land-based intermediate-range missile in the Asia-Pacific "sooner rather than later", in the words of one US official.

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in Asia over the weekend that he wanted to deploy mid-range conventional missiles in the Asia-Pacific within months. Australia previously said the locations for the bases were not yet known but it would not be one of them.

Fu also said China had no intention of joining nuclear weapons reduction talks with the US and Russia, pointing to the huge gap in the size of China's arsenal compared to those of the other two. China has an estimated 290 nuclear warheads deployed, compared to 1,600 for Russia and 1,750 for the US, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

China has already shown "maximum restraint" in developing its arsenal and stuck to its policy that it would not be the first to use a nuclear weapon in a conflict, Fu said.

"I don't think it is reasonable or even fair to expect China to participate in an arms reduction negotiation at this stage," Fu said, but added that China remained committed to multilateral efforts to reduce nuclear stockpiles such as the UN's Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, although it has yet to ratify that agreement. (AFP, AP)