Beijing has blamed Washington for making “irresponsible decisions” in attempts to maintain its hegemony, including through intimidating the international community with its nuclear arsenal, RT reported.

The statement came in response to the Pentagon’s decision to upgrade US Forces Japan into a joint force headquarters under the command of a three-star officer reporting to the commander of the Indo-Pacific Command. The announcement was made by the US Defense Department in late July following the meeting of the American and Japanese defense and foreign policy chiefs.

US Defense Secretary Llyod Austin hailed the development as “one of the strongest improvements in our military ties with Japan in 70 years” at that time. He also said that the two sides “held a separate two-plus-two ministerial-level meeting on extended deterrence, and that has never been done before.” During the meeting, the US vowed to “defend Japan with the full range of our capabilities, including our nuclear capabilities,” according to the defense secretary.

On Friday, Zhang Xiaogang stated that Washington and Tokyo played the “China military threat” card to justify their move. Such actions only “provoke bloc confrontation and undermine regional peace and stability,” he said. 

According to the Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman, “the US poses the biggest nuclear threat to the world” since it possesses the “largest nuclear arsenal in the world” and pursues a policy that allows the first use of nuclear weapons.