Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A representative of China on Friday denied the US accusations against China related to the novel coronavirus /COVID-19/ and disarmament in a general debate in the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly /UN/.

In his speech, the US representative put forward unfounded accusations against the PRC about COVID-19 and said that Russia and China are engaged in building up their nuclear potential.

Geng Shuang, Deputy Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the UN, exercised his right of reply and denied these allegations.

A US spokesman has spread a "political virus" and vilified China, which is completely unacceptable, the Chinese diplomat said, adding that the shift in responsibility cannot cover up the mistakes made by the United States in the fight against the pandemic and cannot deceive the international community.

China categorically rejects the unsubstantiated accusations made by the US representative against China’s arms control policies. The PRC opposes the arms race, supports multilateralism, fulfills its obligations under relevant arms control treaties and agreements, and supports dialogue and security cooperation. He said China’s positive contribution to international security and disarmament has been widely recognized.

However, the United States poses the most serious threat to global strategic security and stability, he said.

First, the United States is obsessed with a military buildup. They rank first in terms of military spending. Their defense spending exceeded US$700 billion in 2019, accounting for nearly 40 percent. of total world spending, and higher than the next 10 countries combined.

Second, Geng Shuang noted, the United States is returning to the Cold War mentality. In its National Security Strategy Report and Nuclear Posture Review, Washington explicitly identified China and Russia as strategic rivals, fanning external threats and fueling confrontation between major powers.

Third, the United States is seeking unilateralism. They withdrew from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles / INF Treaty / and the Iranian nuclear deal, did not sign the International Arms Trade Treaty and took a negative stance on the extension of the START III Treaty, demonstrating their pure pragmatism with regard to bilateral and multilateral treaties and arms control regimes.

Fourth, the United States is seeking to free its hands. They are modernizing their nuclear arsenal and lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The United States has evaded its special responsibility for nuclear disarmament under the pretext of so-called "trilateral negotiations" and even started talking about the resumption of nuclear testing.

Fifth, the United States is engaged in political manipulation. They adhere to double standards in nuclear nonproliferation, abuse unilateral sanctions and serve their geopolitical agenda using issues such as the Iranian nuclear issue and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Sixth, the US is upsetting the strategic balance. The United States has deployed missile defense systems in Asia-Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe and plans to deploy medium-range ground-based missiles in those regions in an attempt to strengthen its military presence and achieve absolute dominance, Geng said.

Seventh, the US is obstructing biological weapons control. It is the only country that is blocking the resumption of negotiations on a protocol that includes a verification regime to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention, and impedes international efforts to verify biological activities. The United States’ position is currently a stumbling block to multilateral biological weapons control, he said.

Eighth, the United States is delaying the destruction of chemical weapons. As the only state party to the Chemical Weapons Convention that still possesses chemical weapons, the United States extended the deadline for the destruction of its chemical weapons several times and did not fulfill its obligations under the convention. Geng Shuang noted that this has become the biggest obstacle to a world free of chemical weapons.

Ninth, the United States is resuming its Star Wars program. They created the Space Force, re-established Space Command, and accelerated weapons testing and military exercises in outer space. These actions threaten space security and seriously contradict the peaceful uses of outer space, he said.

Tenth, the United States is building a "hacker" empire. They are engaged in massive cyberattacks and surveillance around the world using programs such as PRISM. The United States is developing its cyber warfare capabilities in an effort to dominate cyberspace, Geng said.

The above 10 facts are just a quick glimpse of US misconduct in the area of global security and disarmament. The international community is very clear about the misdeeds of the United States, added Geng Shuang.

Multilateral arms control and disarmament concern international peace, security and the well-being of all countries. UN Member States, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, have a responsibility and obligation to participate in this process on an equal basis. Unilateralism, exclusivity and bullying will get you nowhere, he stressed.

As the world’s most advanced military power, the United States has a special and primary responsibility for arms control and disarmament. The slogan “America First” should be transformed into “Compliance first, dismantling first, disarmament first,” he said.