Washington, May 31 : The U.S. head of Strategic Command has said China's nuclear weapons do not pose a "direct threat" to the country, and called for greater dialogue with the Chinese.
"I do not see the Chinese strategic deterrent as a direct threat to the United States. We are not enemies. Could it be (a threat)? I suppose if we were enemies it could be and therefore we at least have to be aware of that," The News quoted General Robert Kehler, as saying.
"We think there would be tremendous benefit to that in both China and the United States, in particular to help us avoid some misunderstanding or some tension in the future," he added.
General Kehler said although the U.S. and Russia account for roughly 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, dealing with China on the matter would become increasingly important.
"We would like to have routine contact and conversations with China's military," he said.
