‘Grim Possibility’: Warning Over Beijing’s Nuclear Desire

The assumption the challenge of restricting nuclear arms ended with the Cold War has proved ’spectacularly inaccurate,' Marles said.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles speaks during a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on Feb. 7, 2025. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Bolstering arms control has become paramount amid China’s rapid pursuit of nuclear expansion and the grim possibility that weapons of mass destruction will become globally available, Richard Marles has warned.

Australia’s deputy prime minister has told Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue that arms control frameworks need to be strengthened to keep up with growing risks and advances in technology across the Pacific and elsewhere.