China blasts US report, reiterates ‘no 1st use’ nuke policy

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Defense Ministry says the country strictly adheres to a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons “at any time and under any circumstances.” The pledge came in a scathing response Tuesday to a U.S. report alleging a major buildup in Beijing’s nuclear capabilities. The Pentagon last week released an annual China security report that warned Beijing would likely have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, and that it has provided no clarity on how it plans to use them. A ministry spokesperson says the report “distorts China’s national defense policy and military strategy, makes groundless speculation about China’s military development and grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs on the issue of Taiwan.”