Jakarta. China recently repeated its commitment to ink ASEAN’s nuclear weapon ban pact, thus possibly becoming the first country to accede to the treaty’s protocol. But again, the heavily armed Beijing did not give the exact time frame of how soon ASEAN could have its signature.

Foreign ministers of ASEAN countries and the group's partners are currently gathering in Kuala Lumpur, where the grouping pushed for substantial progress on the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty.

Under the SEANWFZ, ASEAN members pledge to preserve Southeast Asia free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. The alliance is trying to get the five nuclear-weapon states, namely China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US, to sign the protocol to legally bind them to a similar commitment.   

Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi's spokesperson Mao Ning reaffirmed China’s “firm support” to the anti-nuke treaty as Beijing sought to remain as the 10-member group’s “comprehensive strategic partner" and “friendly neighbor”.

“We have said more than once that China is ready to take the lead in signing the protocol to the SEANWFZ treaty,” Mao told the ministry’s regular news conference on Thursday. 

“Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed that position at the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting this morning. We are in communication with ASEAN countries on this matter,” she said.

Earlier this week, the SEANWFZ Commission, which oversees the treaty’s implementation, met to discuss the pact’s progress in Kuala Lumpur. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono said Jakarta had welcomed Beijing's readiness to accede to the protocol “without reservations”.

“Finalizing the necessary documents and resolving pending issues on the draft MoU [memorandum of understanding] with China should be our immediate priority. A time-bound plan to finalize the tasks would provide a clear work plan and ensure that this issue is not dragging ASEAN further,” Sugiono said, as seen in a transcript provided by his team.

According to Sugiono, China’s accession can set a positive example for other nuclear weapon states to follow suit. It will also build the “much-needed momentum” for ASEAN to move the needle on the treaty that entered into force in 1997. Chinese President Xi Jinping had pledged in 2021 that his country would accede to the protocol as early as possible.

China possesses 600 nuclear warheads as of January 2025. However, its inventory is only a small fraction of what the US and Russia have, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Russia has the biggest arsenal at 5,459 warheads, followed by the US at 5,177. The UK and France have 225 and 290 nuclear warheads, respectively.

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