Beijing hopes for extension of strategic arms treaty

Beijing said on Thursday it hopes to see the extension of a treaty between Washington and Moscow to limit their strategic arms. The Foreign Ministry also expressed hopes that the world's top two nuclear powers would take effective measures to scale back their nuclear weapons.

Extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, often called New START, affects the strategic security relations between the United States and Russia and concerns global strategic stability, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. Therefore, he said, China hopes the treaty will be extended in a smooth manner that helps promote international peace and security.

The treaty is an important arrangement for bilateral nuclear disarmament, and the international community is closely following the extension issue, Lu said in a daily news conference.