China must strengthen its nuclear arsenal to "force the US to respect it" in response to the stance of new US President Donald Trump, a leading newspaper said Tuesday.
The comments in the Global Times, a popular paper known for its inflammatory rhetoric and hawkish views, came just days after President Xi Jinping called for the eventual global elimination of atomic weapons.
In recent days, Chinese social media has carried pictures purporting to show an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile system deployed in the northeast.
The Dongfeng-41 is reportedly a nuclear road-mobile missile thought to have a payload of 10-12 warheads and a range of 14,000 kilometres (8,700 miles), according to the Global Times.
The paper, a subsidiary of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, plays to nationalist sentiment and is often believed to channel hardline views within the government.
The Global Times said some media claimed the People's Liberation Army leaked the photos as a warning to Trump.
"They think this is Beijing's response to Trump's provocative remarks on China," it added.
The US president, who took office Friday, has rattled Beijing with tough talk on trade and national security.
Read the full story at SpaceDaily