The Japan Times:

MUNICH – China on Saturday rejected German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s appeal to join a Cold War-era arms control treaty that the United States accuses Russia of breaching, saying it would place unfair limits on the Chinese military.

Fearing a nuclear arms race between China, Russia and the United States after the collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which the United States is withdrawing from, Merkel made her call for a global treaty.

“Disarmament is something that concerns us all, and we would of course be glad if such talks were held not just between the United States, Europe and Russia but also with China,” Merkel told the Munich Security Conference.

Russia and the U.S. are the signatories to the 1987 INF treaty, which bans land-based missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (300 to 3,400 miles). U.S. President Donald Trump started the six-month withdrawal process this month.

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