UN chief sees end of New START as grave moment for int'l peace, security

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that the expiration of New START, the U.S.-Russia nuclear arms reduction treaty, marks a grave moment for international peace and security, calling on the two countries to return to the negotiation table.

"For the first time in more than half a century, we face a world without any binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the Russian Federation and the United States of America, the two states that possess the overwhelming majority of the global stockpile of nuclear weapons," Guterres said in a statement.

New START, which limits the number of deployed nuclear warheads and strategic delivery systems of Russia and the United States, expires on Thursday.

Throughout the Cold War and its aftermath, nuclear arms control between the two countries helped prevent catastrophe. It built stability and, when combined with other measures, prevented devastating miscalculations. Most importantly, it facilitated the reduction of thousands of nuclear weapons from national arsenals. Strategic arms control drastically improved the security of all people, not least the populations of the United States and Russia, said Guterres.

This expiration of New START could not come at a worse time, as the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades, he said.

"Yet at this moment of uncertainty, we must search for hope. This is an opportunity to reset and create an arms control regime fit for a rapidly evolving context," the statement said. "I welcome that the presidents of both states have made clear that they appreciate the destabilizing impact of a nuclear arms race and the need to prevent the return to a world of unchecked nuclear proliferation. The world now looks to the Russian Federation and the United States to translate worlds into action."

The secretary-general urged the two states to return to the negotiation table without delay and agree on a successor framework that restores verifiable limits, reduces risks and strengthens common global security.

New START, which entered into force in 2011, was the last arms control pact between Russia and the United States after Washington withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019.

UN chief sees end of New START as grave moment for int'l peace, security

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting