China Monitoring Possible Changes to US Nuclear Policy After Trump's Statement

Beijing is paying close attention to the policy that may be adopted by the United States following President-elect Donald Trump's earlier statement on the need for nuclear capabilities' enhancement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Friday.

BEIJING (Sputnik) — On Thursday, Trump wrote on his Twitter account that the United States had to "greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 22 декабря 2016 г.

"We have seen the statements and we are closely monitoring the relevant policy that the US government will adopt. China is actively promoting full prohibition and definitive destruction of the nuclear arms," Hua said at a briefing.

The ministry's spokeswoman also noted that the United States, as a country with a large nuclear arms reserve, had a "special responsibility" to facilitate nuclear disarmament.

On Wednesday, Trump named Peter Navarro, a staunch critic of China, as the head of a national trade body.

In another move that could be interpreted by China as a warning signal, on December 2, Trump became the first US president or president-elect to speak with a Taiwanese leader in an official capacity since 1979. On December 11, Trump said he would not be bound by the US "one China" policy regarding relations with Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province.