BEIJING, August 13. /TASS/. Washington recently took the floor at the UN as the initiator of a demand that other countries provide detailed information about their missile launches in advance, in order to divert attention from the US strengthening missile defenses, Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe said.

"The US has intensified its criticism of China to deflect attention from its own expansion of extended deterrence, nuclear-sharing arrangements and missile-defense programs," the Global Times reports, citing Zhang Junshe, who commented on the recent joint statement by the United States and 40 other countries at the UN headquarters in Geneva.

According to the expert, "These moves heighten the risk of nuclear confrontation, while Washington appears to believe that accusing other countries of lacking transparency can help justify its own military buildup and destabilizing policies."

According to Zhang Junshe, the US seeks to "inject geopolitical rivalry into a multilateral arms control platform. Rather than advancing genuine disarmament, Washington is seeking to stigmatize China as a security threat." As the expert noted, Washington also hopes to "constrain China’s legitimate defense related development and strategic deterrence capabilities, rally an anti-China bloc and reinforce US-led hegemony."

"By rallying the other 40 countries to pressure China, the US has once again exposed its familiar playbook of double standards, bloc-building and confrontation. More broadly, Washington's China policy increasingly reflects strategic anxiety and a lack of confidence - not only in governance, the economy, and technology, but also in the military domain," Zhang Junshe noted.

Inappropriate criticism from US

As Zhang Junshe pointed out, the United States possesses one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals and frequently conducts tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Therefore, according to the expert, against this backdrop, Washington’s criticism of Beijing--"which keeps nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security"--is absurd.

He noted that China’s weapons are "an integral part of China’s efforts to deter nuclear war, safeguard peace and security throughout the world, and maintain global strategic stability."

Zhang Jiadong, professor at the Center for American Studies, Fudan University, said by demanding at least 24 hours' advance notice and detailed launch information, the US wants to gain greater visibility into China's strategic nuclear capabilities by securing earlier and more specific data on missile tests. "By hyping transparency and notification requirements, Washington is seeking to pressure China into revealing more about its military capabilities, reflecting growing anxiety over China's capability, even as questions remain over Washington's own transparency regarding missile tests and nuclear deterrence," the expert stated.

At a plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday, the US and other 40 countries issued a joint statement on what they called "notifications of ballistic missile launches," criticizing China's submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile test conducted in July.

The US and 40 other countries issued a joint statement, published on the website of the US Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, urging all states--particularly nuclear-armed countries--to provide at least 24 hours’ advance notice before launching intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and space launch vehicles. Such notifications must include information on the class of weaponry, the planned launch window and area, and the flight path. According to the statement, directed primarily at Russia, China, and North Korea, the US side demands that precise notifications be provided to pilots and sailors in accordance with international standards to reduce risks, including data on the expected impact or landing zones.