The United States has named China, claiming dissatisfaction with China's actions! On July 9, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, a U.S. State Department official stated: China only notified the United States several hours before the launch, and the details provided were insufficient, far from meeting the standards followed by all other five permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council that possess nuclear weapons. This test launch comes at a time when China is rapidly and "opaque" in expanding its nuclear arsenal, drawing significant concern across the region.
The official claimed that launching such missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads without prior notification through regular diplomatic channels is irresponsible. Clearly, what the United States means is dissatisfaction with our practice of notifying them only several hours before launch, and the belief that the information we provided was inadequate. We would like to ask in return: First, how long in advance does the United States notify China before launching an intercontinental missile? Second, does the United States provide China with equivalent levels of detail regarding its own launches?
Third, did the United States conduct its launch activities through conventional diplomatic mechanisms for prior notification? It is truly baffling that there has never been any bilateral agreement between China and the United States on pre-launch notifications for missile tests, nor does any multilateral international law or P5 common pact stipulate that all nuclear weapon states must uniformly adhere to the same pre-notification rules for missile testing. So, just what exactly is this so-called “P5 standard” that the United States keeps referring to?
In fact, the United States and Russia have a bilateral, reciprocal comprehensive notification agreement—but this agreement holds no legal force or binding effect on China. Our obligation toward the United States is limited to notification according to international customary practices. Moreover, let’s be clear: the United States frequently conducts tests of its Minuteman-3 ICBMs and Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles. It notifies Russia in advance under bilateral treaties, but it never proactively provides China with full, comprehensive prior notifications or complete trajectory and test parameters.
Now, on what grounds does the United States make such demands—this or that—toward us? In short, international relations are based on reciprocity. Since there is no relevant agreement between China and the United States, we have no obligation to follow the U.S.-unilaterally defined standards. The accusation of “lack of transparency” is a long-standing rhetorical tactic used by the United States to discredit China. If the United States truly seeks sincerity, it should work with China to establish a mutually agreed-upon notification mechanism. Otherwise, we will grant the United States no special treatment in terms of notifications.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870201035495433/
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