BEIJING, July 12. /TASS/. China maintains its nuclear arsenal at the minimal level required for its national security, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press briefing on Wednesday.

"China has always adhered to the self-defense nuclear strategy and maintained its nuclear arsenal at the minimal level required for its national security," the Chinese diplomat said, commenting on a NATO communique, in which the alliance’s member states voiced their concern over China’s nuclear arsenal.

NATO as a military alliance that possesses the most powerful nuclear weapons has been engaged in 'microphone diplomacy' in recent years, trying to "irresponsibly exaggerate China’s nuclear threat," Wang Wenbin pointed out.

"This is completely false and hypocritical. China expresses its serious concern and resolute disagreement with this," the diplomat said.

China abides by the policy of not using the nuclear weapons first and pledges not to employ them or threaten non-nuclear states with such weapons, the Chinese diplomat stressed.

"If NATO members are really interested in lowering strategic risks and maintaining strategic stability, they should take practical actions for reducing the role of nuclear weapons in the policy of national and collective security," Wang Wenbin said.

The NATO member states adopted a communique after the first day of their summit in Vilnius, in which they claimed that "China’s stated ambitions and coercive policies" challenged the alliance’s interests, security and values. The military bloc voiced its concern over China’s expanding and diversifying nuclear arsenal.

In addition, NATO said that the deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia ran counter to the alliance’s values and interests.

The communique said that the European Union and NATO would coordinate their steps "to address the systemic challenges posed by the PRC [People’s Republic of China] to Euro-Atlantic security."