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[-] miz@lemmygrad.ml 36 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

China became the first nation to propose and pledge a No First Use policy when it first gained nuclear capabilities in 1964, stating "not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time or under any circumstances." During the Cold War, China decided to keep the size of its nuclear arsenal small, rather than compete in an international arms race with the United States and the Soviet Union. China has repeatedly reaffirmed its no-first-use policy in recent years, doing so in 2005, 2008, 2009 and again in 2011. China has also consistently called on the United States to adopt a no-first-use policy, to reach an NFU agreement bilaterally with China, and to conclude an NFU agreement among the five nuclear weapon states. The United States has repeatedly refused these calls.

[-] Redderthanmisty@lemmygrad.ml 25 points 4 months ago

Even if they didn't have a no-first-use policy, why would China nuke their own territory?

[-] landlords_morghulis@lemmygrad.ml 23 points 4 months ago

China’s expanded arsenal – which includes anti-ship cruise missiles, bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarines – exceeded the needs of a state with a minimal deterrence and no-first-use policy, Alberque said.

fingerwagging the world superpower with the smallest nuclear deterrent by less than 1/3rd, as having "too many"

[-] Mzuark@lemmygrad.ml 23 points 4 months ago

This is China saying that they know the US is planning to go nuclear if a hot war ever kicks off.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 4 months ago
[-] lorty@lemmygrad.ml 20 points 4 months ago

Maybe China should ask for help from Yemen, they seem to know how the defeat the US.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 20 points 4 months ago

It's kind of incredible to me that US thinks it can take on China given that they can't even take on Yemen.

[-] 201dberg@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 4 months ago

It's literally all they know how to do is bluster and beat their chest. They are a bully and Nukes are their "crying to mom and dad" when someone calls their bullshit and pushes back. I have said before, the world will never be safe from the US until the rest of the world has so many nukes and other defense capabilities set up to make the US nukes completely ineffective.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 4 months ago

I'm hoping US just implodes internally myself.

[-] 201dberg@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 4 months ago

The thing is, what happens to all those nukes when it implodes? They won't just go away. So long as they exist and some member of the oligarchy is in power, the world is at threat from them. It doesn't matter how decrepit the military is. Is doesn't matter if we run out of conventional bombs, planes, etc. so long as those nukes exist and there's not a definitive way to stop them, then the world just isn't safe from the US..... And I think they know it too. The US that is. They want a nuclear war so bad. Everything they do makes it seem more and more like they want it sooo bad, they just want the excuse to do it before the world, China, actually does develop a defense capable to stopping it.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 4 months ago

I've wondered about that as well. In fact, it's entirely possible that US could nuke itself if there is a civil conflict. However, I think the big danger US poses currently is that it's a single state in control of a massive nuclear arsenal. Should US break up, then this arsenal would be partitioned along with the rest of the military assets. I think that's a much better scenario because it would be highly unlikely that all the states would agree on coordinated action.

All that said, I completely agree that China having air defence that can take out the nuke before they hit would be a great thing. It is a very difficult problem however as we currently see in Ukraine. Russia has top notch air defence, yet things get through now and then. If we're talking about nukes then even missing one could mean millions of deaths.

[-] 201dberg@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 4 months ago

Exactly, and as long as they know the rest of the global powers won't take the chance they will continue to commit atrocities against weaker nations and best their chest and bluster at the rest.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 4 months ago
this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2024
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