China has strongly dismissed claims in a draft Pentagon report alleging that Beijing has loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) into newly constructed silo fields, accusing Washington of speculation aimed at justifying its own nuclear modernization and pressuring China strategically.

According to a Reuters report published Monday, the draft US Defense Department assessment claims China has likely deployed more than 100 ICBMs across three silo fields near its border with Mongolia and has shown little interest in participating in arms control negotiations.

Responding on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said he was not aware of the so-called internal Pentagon report and described such allegations as part of a long-standing US tactic to exaggerate the “China threat.”

“This kind of hype by the US side is a consistent practice,” Lin said at a regular press briefing. “Its real purpose is to find excuses to accelerate its own nuclear force modernization and undermine global strategic stability.”

Lin stressed that as the world’s largest nuclear superpower with the biggest nuclear arsenal, the United States bears the primary responsibility for advancing nuclear disarmament. He urged Washington to make “drastic and substantive cuts” to its nuclear stockpile and to create conditions for other nuclear-armed states to join the disarmament process.

He also pointed to China’s recently released white paper, China’s Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in the New Era, which outlines Beijing’s nuclear policy. According to Lin, China firmly adheres to a “no first use” policy, maintains a nuclear strategy focused solely on self-defense, and keeps its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security.

“China never engages in a nuclear arms race with any country,” Lin said, adding that Beijing actively participates in the review process of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and P5 mechanism meetings, while maintaining dialogue with relevant parties on arms control issues.

Chinese military affairs expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that the Pentagon report is based on subjective speculation rather than verifiable facts. He said the United States, which possesses the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, has failed to take the lead in genuine disarmament efforts.

“China’s nuclear arsenal is only a fraction of that of the US,” Song said. “There is no justification for China to join arms control negotiations at this stage.”

Another military analyst, Zhang Junshe, emphasized that China’s nuclear capabilities are strictly defensive and intended for counterstrikes and retaliation in the event of a nuclear attack. He said the vast disparity between China’s nuclear forces and those of the US and Russia makes demands for China’s participation in trilateral arms control talks “unfair and unreasonable.”

“By hyping this issue, the US is attempting to pressure China with the ultimate aim of constraining the normal development of China’s national defense capabilities,” Zhang said.

Analysts also noted that drawing China into arms control negotiations serves as a strategic pretext for Washington to maintain its perceived balance of power. In October, the US government cited Russia’s missile tests and China’s growing nuclear capabilities as justification for a decision to resume nuclear weapons testing “immediately,” according to a Fox News report.

Previous Pentagon assessments have similarly claimed that China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, with one report last year alleging Beijing could possess 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. In response, China’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said such reports misinterpret China’s defense policy, exaggerate its military development, and deliberately smear the Chinese military.

Zhang underscored that China’s nuclear development is aimed solely at safeguarding national strategic security, while criticizing the US for maintaining a policy that allows first use of nuclear weapons.

“The US, which has the largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world, continues to undermine international and regional peace and stability,” Zhang said, calling on Washington to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in its security policies.

Echoing these remarks earlier this year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said it is neither reasonable nor realistic to expect China to join nuclear disarmament talks alongside the US and Russia, given the stark differences in arsenal size and strategic environment.

“China’s nuclear strength and nuclear policy contribute to world peace,” Guo said, reaffirming Beijing’s commitment to no first use, self-defense, and opposition to any form of arms race. (ILKHA)