The Case For No First Use

Since its first successful nuclear weapons test in 1964, China has committed itself to an unconditional no-first-use (NFU) policy. China urges other nuclear-armed states to adopt their own NFU policies. In recent decades, there has been some progress on this front. The debates in the international community on this topic have recently become more spirited.

This discussion brought together nuclear scientists, retired military officials, and diplomats to discuss the role NFU policies play in reducing the risk of nuclear war. Panelists specifically touched on how the NFU policy is shaping China’s national security agenda and its strategic security role in the world.

This event was held in Chinese.

Li Bin

Li Bin is a senior associate working jointly in the Nuclear Policy Program and Asia Program at Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy and a professor of Tsinghua University.

Sha Zukang

Ambassador Sha Zukang was director of the Arms Control Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he also previously served as the United Nation’s under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs. He currently serves as the honorary dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University.

Hu Side

Hu Side was president of the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP). He is now a senior advisor to CAEP and directs the academy’s Center for Strategic Study.

Pan Zhenqiang

Retired Major General Pan Zhenqiang was director of the Institute of Strategic Study at the PLA’s National Defense University. He is now senior adviser to the China Reform Forum and director of the Research Institute for Strategy and Management at the Central University of Finance and Economics.

Yao Yunzhu

Recently retired Major General Yao Yunzhu is director of the Center on China-America Defense Relations at the Academy of Military Science.