No first use of nuclear weapons

China has not changed the policy it has persistently upheld for half a century and other countries should also commit to it

On April 16 the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China released its latest defense white paper. As usual, this document attracted immediate media attention and triggered wide-ranging discussions about the intentions and capabilities of China's armed forces. One speculation has been that China might have changed or be considering changes to its long-held nuclear weapons policy of no first use, because for the first time the white paper has failed to reiterate China's pledge not to use nuclear weapons first.

However, a careful reading of this year's white paper and a study of all such papers since 1998 easily explains the conspicuous absence of this key phrase, which is usually repeated in Chinese official documents on defense and nuclear policy.

First, unlike previous white papers, which have been about China's national defense, the latest edition was on the diversified employment of China's armed forces. It has changed from a comprehensive elaboration of China's national defense to a more focused discussion on a specific aspect.

Major General Chen Zhou, a senior researcher and a key author of the white paper, explained in an interview that this is the first white paper that adopted a thematic approach so that the subject could be dealt with more thoroughly. Compared with previous editions, this year's white paper has no section on national defense policy, which is the section that usually contains the commitment to no first use of nuclear weapons

Second, in the section on The Building and Development of China's Armed Forces, the force structure, missions and roles of the People's Liberation Army Second Artillery Force are specified, stating that its nuclear component is "responsible for deterring other countries from using nuclear weapons against China, and carrying out nuclear counterattacks". This conforms with China's policy of no first use.

The section on Defending National Sovereignty, Security and Territorial Integrity provides information on the preparedness of the Second Artillery Force, which keeps an appropriate level of readiness in peacetime and has formed a complete system for combat readiness to ensure rapid and effective responses to threats and emergencies. The alert posture of the Second Artillery Force is also in compliance with China's nuclear weapons policy of no first use.