by Dramelin 5:00 AM 0 comments

China`s "no-first-use policy" means Beijing only demands the capability to ensure the launch of a nuclear missile, after being hit first by an enemy nuclear strike. Tong Zhao, an associate in the Carnegie Endowment`s Nuclear Policy Program based in Beijing, told CNBC Wednesday that this more flexible form of weapon would lower the threshold of nuclear use. "To make sure that there would be enough Chinese nuclear weapons to survive a U.S. first strike and not be neutralized by U.S. missile defense, China may have an increasing incentive to adopt the launch-on-warning posture," he said. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 27, requiring Defense Secretary James Mattis to review America`s nuclear prowess. "This will be seen by China as evidence of U.S. contemplating first use of nuclear weapons in a future crisis and will encourage China to consider pursuing similar capabilities that may undermine the no-first-use policy," he said in an email.