China—No First Use

Oct. 21, 2005

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

According to several news reports, Gen. Jing Zhiyuan, commander of the Second Artillery and the chief of China’s nuclear missile forces, told Rumsfeld that China would never be the first one to push the nuclear button. A recap of the statement came from US defense officials who were with Rumsfeld at the SRF facility. They believe Jing’s comments were a form of damage control after Gen. Zhu Chenghu’s comment in July to reporters in Hong Kong that China would strike with nuclear weapons if threatened in a conflict over Taiwan.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

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