Quotations on National Missile Defense (NMD)

China

Reactions to the US decision to unilaterally withdraw from the ABM Treaty:

Chinese Foreign Ministry Statement
Chinese officials "stressed the importance of safeguarding international military control and the disarmament system and the stability of global strategy in the current circumstances... We hope that the United States will earnestly take into account the opinion of the majority of the world's nations" (17 December 2001, Reuters, “China Urges Stability as U.S. Missile Pact Talks End”)

Zhang Qiyue, Spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry
"It is of crucial importance to maintain the international disarmament and arms control efforts….China opposes the missile defense system. We are worried about the negative impact of the US move and hope that the US will listen to the opinions of other countries, exercising prudence on the question of missile defense….We maintain that the various sides should hold strategic dialogue to seek ways to maintain the global strategic balance without harming the international disarmament and arms control efforts.” (14 December 2001, New York Times, “China Voices Muted Distress At U.S. Blow To ABM Pact”)

Zhu Bangzao, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman
"China will continue to support the ABM Treaty" (7 November 2001, China Daily, "Visit to Focus on Human Rights") 

Wang Yingfan, Chinese Permanent Representative at the 56^th UN General Assembly Session
“The ABM Treaty not only involves the signatory countries but also bears great importance  and relevance to maintaining global strategic balance and stability as well as promoting international disarmament and non-proliferation process. The success of the international disarmament and non-proliferation depends on the maintenance and observance of this treaty.” (25 September 2001, China Daily, "China Calls on UN to Continue Scrutinizing NMD Developments")

Zhu Bangzao, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman
On reports of a U.S. proposal to hold intensive talks with China on missile defense: "We are opposed to missile defense, but we are also in favor of dialogue to seek a solution." (5 September 2001, Washington Post, "Beijing Open to Talks on U.S. Plan")

Zhou Gang, Chinese ambassador to New Delhi
“Peace loving countries and peoples should have an understanding of the NMD’s dangers. We oppose it because it promotes strategic imbalances…and domination of world politics.” (20 May 2001, China Daily, "China Cautions India over US Missile Shield Plan")

Sun Yuxi,  Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman 
"As we have stated many times, we are firmly opposed to this. We hope the U.S. will proceed cautiously and continue to abide by the ABM. If the U.S. side is willing to send an envoy here, we are willing to have consultations." (11 May 2001, Reuters, "Factbox - What They Said on US Missile Defense Plans")

Zhu Bangzao, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman  
"We believe the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty is the cornerstone for safeguarding global strategic balance and stability," Zhu was quoted as saying.  "If the treaty is destroyed, global strategic balance and stability will be broken, and the international arms control process and nonproliferation efforts will be impeded." (3 May 2001, AP, "China: U.S. Missile Plan May Spark Arms Race")  

Sha Zukang, Director-General of the Department of Disarmament and Arms Control, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"The US development and possible deployment of NMD will disrupt the existing strategic equilibrium among major powers, and jeopardize the security interest of other countries. This will undoubtedly arouse suspicion and mistrust among major powers, hampering their coordination and cooperation in international security affairs." (14 March 2001, Disarmament Policy, "Press Briefing on National Missile Defense, Beijing")

Sun Yuxi, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman 
The planned U.S. NMD “will have a far-reaching and extensive negative impact on the global and regional strategic balance and stability.” (6 February 2001, Associated Press, “Missile Defense Test Planned”)

“The U.S. plans go against the trend of the times and are detrimental to international disarmament and arms control efforts... [NMD] will have far-reaching and extensive negative impacts on the global and regional strategic balance and stability in the 21st century... We hope the U.S. side will abide by the ABM treaty, which has all along been the cornerstone in safeguarding the global strategic balance and stability and provided the necessary security framework for nuclear disarmament.” (6 February 2001, Agence France-Presse, “China Voices Concern Over U.S. Anti-Missile Plans”)

Zhu Bangzao, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman 
"The United States is a country with the largest and most sophisticated arsenals of both nuclear and conventional weapons in the world and now it is engaging itself to develop NMD and TMD ... The Chinese side expresses serious concern and in particular if the US is to develop TMD and to include Taiwan, this is something that will be by no means accepted by the Chinese side." (November 2 2000, Agence France-Presse, "China warns future US president over missile shield")

Hu Xiaodi, China's ambassador to the U.N. Conference on Disarmament
"To seek missile defense capability protecting the whole territory is tantamount to seeking unilateral absolute security so as to gain absolute freedom in using or threatening to use force in international relations … I would like to point out that the recent announcement by the U.S. President not to deploy NMD for the time being does not mean at all that the NMD plan has been given up … The U.S. President has instructed the continued development and testing of NMD.'' (September 14 2000, Reuters, "China, U.S. Clash on Missile Shield at Arms Talks")

Zhu Bangzao, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman
On President Clinton's decision to delay deployment of NMD: “The decision is rational. We hope that the U.S. government will have more contact and discussions with other countries on the matter, so as to make a decision which could serve the interests of countries and peoples all over the world.” (2 September 2000, Line One News Wire, "Clinton ‘Rational’ for Shelving Missile Defense Says China")

Luo Yuan, Director at Chinese Academy of Military Science 
On U.S. motives for missile defense: "The U.S. global strategy in Europe is to contain Russia's revival and in Asia to contain China's growth, and is to preserve U.S. hegemony in the world." (17 August 2000, Washington Post, "China Again Warns U.S. on Missiles")

Tang Jiaxuan, Chinese Foreign Minster
"We believe this idea of the United States' will inevitably support a new round of arms race and will compromise international peace and stability. This issue is by no means a dispute between China and the United States, but between the United States and the international community…We hope the U.S. is fully listening to the common voice of the international community." (30 July 2000, Washington Post, "Asian Forum Ends In Chorus Of Criticism Of U.S. Missile Defense Plan")

Sun Yuxi, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman
"America’s NMD plan goes against the trend of the times, harms international disarmament and arms-control efforts and will have a negative impact on the global strategic balance." (7 July 2000, Washington Times, “China Hits Missile Plan As Meddling In Taiwan”)

Zhu Bangzhao, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman
"China has always believed that the United States' excuse for developing NMD and TMD does not hold water. And now that tensions have eased in Korea, that is even more true." (23 June 2000, CNN, "Albright to question South Korea about Kim Jong Il")

"We hope the United States will heed calls from the international community to give up these plans, as soon as possible." (20 June 2000, CNN)

Sha Zukang, Director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Arms Control and Disarmament
“To defeat your defenses we'll have to spend a lot of money, and we don't want to do this. But otherwise, the United States will feel it can attack anyone at any time, and that isn't tolerable…We hope [America] will give this up. If not, we'll be ready." (11 May 2000, New York Times, “China Says U.S. Missile Shield Could Force an Arms Buildup”)

"Amending [the ABM treaty] in search of national missile defense will tip the global balance, trigger a new arms race and jeopardize world and regional stability." (30 January 2000, New York Times, “Testing a Missile and a Treaty”)

On the possible withdrawal from the ABM Treaty: "If such a balance and stability were shattered, the nuclear disarmament process would come to a grind or even be reversed; It will only poison the atmosphere, undermine the conditions necessary for nuclear disarmament and breed a potential danger of an arms race...Who can guarantee that other non-nuclear states will not go nuclear?" (25 November 1999)

“If a country, in addition to its offensive power, seeks to develop advanced TMD or even NMD, in an attempt to attain absolute security and unilateral strategic advantage for itself, other countries will be forced to develop more advanced offensive missiles. This will give rise to a new round of arms race, and will be in nobody's interest.” (11-12 January 1999, Carnegie International Non-Proliferation Conference)

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