OREANDA-NEWS. The People’s Republic of China will not participate in any negotiations on a trilateral nuclear transaction. This was announced on May 6 by Foreign Ministry spokesman Gen Shuang. "China opposes anyone speaking on behalf of China, we will also not participate in any negotiations on a trilateral agreement on nuclear disarmament," Geng Shuang said at a briefing, commenting on the idea of US President Donald Trump to conclude a trilateral nuclear deal with Russia and China, reports RIA Novosti.

Geng Shuang stressed that "conditions for disarmament for other states will be created thereby." He also said that Beijing maintains its nuclear potential at the existing level "solely to ensure its own national security" and "will not use it for offensive purposes, since it adheres to a peaceful path of development." "China’s nuclear weapons stockpiles are much lower than those of Russia and the United States, they are maintained at a rational level and correspond to the tasks of ensuring national security,” he said at a regular briefing. “The PRC will not participate in tripartite negotiations to conclude nuclear reduction deals weapons. We are in favor of the comprehensive elimination of nuclear weapons and we believe that countries with the largest stockpiles of atomic weapons, in accordance with international agreements, should strictly follow their obligations and significantly reduce their arsenal".

Earlier, Trump said that China would like to be part of a future US-Russia nuclear deal. In addition, he said that he was looking forward to working out a comprehensive nuclear deal with Russia and China, and that he had already discussed this issue with Chinese partners during trade negotiations. Later, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in response to Trump's idea, said that the priority task was to extend the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms and solve the problems associated with the treaty.