China calls for talks to end US, Russia INF row

China calls on all relevant countries to properly resolve their disputes over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty through dialogue and consultation, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying speaks at a routine press briefing on October 22, 2018. [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his country will pull out of the INF Treaty, which was signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the U.S. to eliminate intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.

Trump accused Russia of violating the treaty, and said that the U.S. will have to develop those weapons unless Russia and China committed to stopping the development process.

"It's completely wrong to link the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty to China," spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a routine press briefing.

The INF Treaty is an important arms control and disarmament treaty reached between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, Hua said. It has played an important role in easing international relations, advancing the process of nuclear disarmament, and maintaining global strategic balance and stability, she said, adding that the treaty is still of great significance today.

"The unilateral withdrawal from the treaty will cause negative impacts in various areas," she continued.

China hopes that relevant countries can cherish hard-won achievements over the years, carefully and properly handle the issue through dialogue and consultation, and think twice about the withdrawal, Hua said.