China Vows to Continue Nuclear Modernization, Hours After Disarmament Pledge

Fu Cong, the director of the Chinese foreign ministry's Arms Control Department speaks to the media on July 28, 2019, at the Palais Coburg in Vienna, Austria. Alex Halada/AFP/Getty Images

China, France, the UK, the United States, and Russia issued a joint statement on Jan. 3, affirming that nuclear war and the proliferation of nuclear weapons ought to be avoided at all costs.

“We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” the statement said.