Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe told delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday that China has made “impressive progress” in creating new nuclear weapons, but that they will only be used for self-defense and never first.

In response to a question regarding rumours last year of over 100 new nuclear missile silos being built in China’s east, he stated that China “has always pursued an appropriate path to developing nuclear capabilities for protection of our country.”

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He went on to say that nuclear weapons exhibited in a 2019 military parade in Beijing, including improved terminals for China’s DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles, were operational and installed.

“China has developed its capabilities for over five decades. It’s fair to say there has been impressive progress,” he stated. “China’s … policy is consistent. We use it for self defence. We will not be the first to use nuclear (weapons).”

He stated that China’s nuclear arsenal’s ultimate purpose was to avert nuclear war.

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“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 remarked.

Last year, the US State Department expressed worry over China’s nuclear development, claiming that Beijing looked to be departing from decades of nuclear strategy predicated on limited deterrence. It urged China to collaborate “on practical measures to reduce the risks of destabilising arms races.”

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In the latest quarrel between the countries over the island, China’s defence minister told his US counterpart on Friday that if Taiwan declares independence, Beijing will “not hesitate to start a war,”

The announcement came as Wei Fenghe met for the first time with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting in Singapore.