China's nuclear weapons are completely for self-defence, says defence minister

China has said that the main purpose of their nuclear weapons is self-defence and although they have made “Impressive progress” in expanding their nuclear arsenal over time, they do not have intention in using them for any other reason. During the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe was asked about reports suggesting that China has created around 100 new nuclear missile silos in the last year alone. Fenghe did not answer directly but said that China "has always pursued an appropriate path to developing nuclear capabilities for protection”.

"China has developed its capabilities for over five decades. It's fair to say there has been impressive progress. China's ... policy is consistent. We use it for self-defence. We will not be the first to use nuclear (weapons)," the defence minister said according to a report by Reuters.

There were a few concerns expressed by the United States State Department last year about China’s growing arsenal of nuclear weapons and even decided to ask China to engage with them "on practical measures to reduce the risks of destabilising arms races" to keep maintaining the peace.

Fenghe made it clear that the ultimate goal of the nuclear arsenal that China possesses right now is to deter or completely prevent nuclear war. There were no comments made about the reports of China increasing their weapons, but he said that all of their existing ones are completely functional.

"We developed nuclear capabilities to protect the hard work of the Chinese people and protect our people from the scourge of the nuclear warfare," he said.

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(With inputs from agencies)