Opinion | China's nuclear policy should be the global standard
By Augustus K. Yeung
Introduction
The Russo-Ukraine conflict in Europe may be a flashpoint: Mr. Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader is suspicious that the United States and its allies in Europe are bent on breaking Russia, bankrupting its banking system, consuming its arsenal, among other strangling sanctions.
The battlefield may be a less fearsome sight; the more fearsome thought is that Russia has put its nuclear force on alert, poised to hit back if NATO resorts to nuclear attack on Russia.
The current western thinking now is obsessed with the possibility of tapping into the nuclear arsenal of whether Russia would one day push the deadly button, which could mean the destruction of mankind.
Under the circumstance, it is relevant to revisit the great nuclear physicists who gave birth to atomic bombs, but are now deeply worried about their abuse, apart from the nuclear benefits.
It is also vital to bring in China's doctrine of non-nuclear-proliferation and defensive decimation strategy.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Committed to Reducing the Possibility of Nuclear Warfare
Founded by Albert Einstein and University of Chicago scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project that helped develop the first atomic bombs, the organization's contributing physicists, engineers, and other scientists have – in their writing, speeches and interviews – campaigned tirelessly against risking nuclear war.
They make the compelling case that global doomsday could arise from strategic miscalculation, a command-and-control accident, or an impulsive order from a maniacal leader. As former British prime minister Winston Churchill warned, the doctrine of nuclear deterrence "does not cover the case of lunatics or dictators in the mood of Hitler when he found himself in his final dug-out".
Among the US's most notable antinuclear intellectuals is Siegfried Hecker, one of those inspiring scientists who rise above the forbidding peaks of their disciplines to ponder moral implications.
A professor at Stanford University, Hecker is also director emeritus of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, having served as its head from 1986 to 1997. The laboratory was founded during World War II to coordinate the work of the Manhattan Project. He is an expert on North Korea's nuclear program and has worked for nuclear stability with Russian scientists since the end of the Cold War.
Hecker's Consequential Question: "Will Russia be Using Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine?"
In a recent interview with the Bulletin, Hecker said the major question now is "whether Russia, meaning Putin, is going to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine". Admitting that he didn't really know, he added that "the chances are certainly non-zero".
Hecker continued: "But what I do know is that he's blown up the global nuclear order that has been developed over the last 70 years, for the most past by the United States and Russia. That order has helped to allow the world to take advantage of the benefits of nuclear energy – such as nuclear electricity and nuclear medicine – while avoiding the worst potential consequences, everything from nuclear weapons use to lots of countries seeking nuclear weapons [we have fewer than 10] today, to nuclear terrorism, and nuclear accidents. The global order has allowed us to have the benefits outweigh the risks of nuclear energy."
Hecker pointed out that the nuclear non-proliferation treaty was the central element around which the current global nuclear non-proliferation regime was built, and that "it is embedded in a fabric of other agreements, practices, and norms that require international cooperation – and leadership from the big nuclear powers". He highlighted the key role that Russia had played in the non-proliferation regime.
"It is going to be difficult to see how we're going to live with an international system, where we have a formerly responsible nuclear state – a country we can no longer count on to be responsible in nuclear matters – but is still so actively involved in the nuclear arena…" Hecker said.
Conclusion
Amid the worries about Russia's possibility of using nuclear weapons, NATO should try its best to bring the current Russo-Ukraine conflict to an end; therefore, curtailing the pitfalls of nations pushing the forbidden button. This responsibility falls squarely on President Joe Biden – who has been fueling the Ukrainian war efforts. His real motive for this armed supply has yet to be unraveled and exposed.
The forming of the AUKUS pact, which inevitably involves nuclear technology transfer from the United States to Australia is a blatant violation of the nuclear non-proliferation that China upholds.
Besides, the nuclear development programs in North Korea and Iran show no signs of stopping, thanks to America's sanctions and sidetrack by the conflict in Eastern Europe.
The more nuclear powers in the world, the great the danger "Nukes" pose to the world is a naked truth. The US initiated AUKUS pact smacks of hypocrisy.
By contrast, China's present doctrine "to never use nuclear weapons unless someone fires first on China" puts China on a higher moral ground. This policy should remain the standard among the world's nuclear powers.
"The US policy, which is to maintain and build its arsenal for deterrence, does not occupy the same moral high ground," said Prof. Tom Plate. ("Scorpion strategy". SCMP. Tuesday, May 3, 2022)
Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who was director of the Los Alamos laboratory when the first atomic bomb was tested, caricatured "mutually assured destruction" as "two scorpions in a bottle, each capable of killing the other, but only at great risk to his own life".
What should China do? According to Hecker, we are at a turning point in world nuclear affairs as momentous as the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
One might add that of all the nuclear-power nations in the world, China's words and deeds have made it a model.
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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