"How can we base our own national security on your assurances of good will?" asked Sha Zukang, after saying the Chinese were unconvinced of US claims that the "national missile defense" was only designed to counter threats from rogue states.

Whatever the intention, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's director general for arms control said, the anti-missile system under discussion would destroy China's ability to deter nuclear attack by neutralizing its relatively small force of nuclear missiles.

If it appears that China is left dangerously vulnerable to bullying or attack, said Sha, who spoke in English, "we will not sit on our hands."

US President Bill Clinton is expected to decide next month whether to go ahead with the development of the defense system that would cost tens of billions of dollars and which is strongly opposed also by Russia.

Sha said the proposed anti-missile shield would upset the "balance of terror" that has kept nuclear peace up to now, and would touch off a global arms race and possibly a "nightmare scenario" of weapons proliferation.

In what the daily said was the most detailed public warning of China's possible military response to the proposed US defense shield, Sha outlined the options that Beijing might consider taking if the system is developed and deployed.

These included increasing the number of nuclear warheads, improving their accuracy and other traits and developing methods to destroy or frustrate the missile shield.

Sha also said China and Russia were considering the joint development of techniques "to restore strategic stability," including methods "to defeat your system."

"We'll have to do something," he said.

Although China is reluctant to "spend a lot of money" to counter the US anti-missile shield, he added, it would be left with no alternative if the system were deployed.

"But otherwise, the United States will feel it can attack anyone at any time, and that isn't tolerable."

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