China military paper spells out nuclear arms stance

China must have a limited nuclear "second strike" force to deter foes from threatening it with atomic weapons, the nation's main military newspaper said on Thursday, in a rare account of Beijing's nuclear strategy.

The commentary in the official Liberation Army Daily comes during intensifying atomic diplomacy -- after a nuclear security summit hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama and before an international conference in May about the future of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

China has been gradually modernizing its relatively small nuclear arsenal and some critics of proposals to cut dramatically Western nuclear forces have said uncertainty about Beijing's plans should deter such proposals.

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