China Warns of New Arms Race
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China warned on Thursday that President Bush's proposed U.S. missile defense system could spark a new arms race and undermine world peace, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao urged Washington not to scrap a 1972 arms control treaty that places severe limits on anti-missile systems, Xinhua said.
"We believe the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty is the cornerstone for safeguarding global strategic balance and stability," Zhu was quoted as saying.
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The brief report on Xinhua was the first official Chinese reaction since Bush outlined his plans for an anti-missile project Tuesday in Washington. It repeated previous Chinese government objections about abandoning the 1972 treaty, which the United States signed with the now defunct Soviet Union.