China opposes US’s decision to withdraw from INF treaty

China said it’s opposed to the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia and urged the two countries to “resolve differences through constructive dialogue.”

The United States’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that Washington would withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia within six months unless Russia returned to “full and verifiable compliance” with the treaty.

Washington claims Russia’s new Novator 9M729 cruise missile violates the agreement, which bans ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 km (310 to 3,420 miles).

This pact is an important bilateral treaty for arms control and disarmament that has contributed to reducing tensions between major powers, enhancing international and regional peace, and safeguarding global strategy equilibrium and stability, Geng Shuang, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, said in a statement published on Saturday.

China said it’s also against the idea of creating a multilateral agreement to replace the bilateral treaty. “The most pressing matter is how to uphold and implement the existing treaty,” the spokesman said in the statement.

The agreement officially expires in early 2021 but can be extended by another five years if both Washington and Moscow agree. However, Russian officials have accused the United States of inventing a pretext to end the treaty, allowing them to develop new weapons.