The West and China have been warned about the risks of 'miscalculating' their way into a nuclear war in the future. The danger of an accidental nuclear conflict was spelled out by the UK's National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove.
He warned of the “pace and scale with which China is expanding its nuclear and conventional arsenals”, as he said the world is entering a “dangerous new age of proliferation”. He was speaking in Washington DC and comes as Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warns of the “growing malign influence from Beijing”.
Sir Stephen said: “During the Cold War, we benefited from a series of negotiations and dialogues that improved our understanding of Soviet doctrine and capabilities – and vice versa.
“This gave us both a higher level of confidence that we would not miscalculate our way into nuclear war. Today, we do not have the same foundations with others who may threaten us in the future – particularly with China.”
Ms Truss has promised to build stronger economic and trade ties with Commonwealth nations to counter China’s “growing malign influence”. If she succeeds Boris Johnson as prime minister in September, Ms Truss would launch a “New Commonwealth Deal”, aimed at strengthening economic ties across the Commonwealth.
Ms Truss said: “I will ensure the Commonwealth sits at the heart of my plans for Global Britain.
“As one of the largest groups of freedom loving democracies, we must ensure there are clear benefits to remaining a member of the Commonwealth and offer nations a clear alternative to growing malign influence from Beijing.
“Prioritising trade with countries across the Commonwealth will strengthen economic and security ties whilst also turbocharging opportunities for British businesses to access one of the world’s largest economic blocs.”
