Washington’s withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) will result in negative consequences, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday.

“The US unilateral withdrawal from the treaty [INF] will have a multilateral negative effect,” the Chinese diplomat said.

US President Donald Trump’s remark on China was “an absolute mistake,” she noted. “We hope that all the sides will be able to solve all issues of concern through dialogue.”

“The INF Treaty is a very important document on arms control, which was signed between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War,” Hua Chunying said. The document has an important role in developing international relations, in nuclear disarmament and in maintaining global strategic balance and stability. “The treaty remains crucial in the modern era,” she said.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would withdraw from the INF Treaty because Russia was violating the terms of the agreement. At the same time, he did not rule out signing a new agreement on intermediate-range nuclear forces with Moscow and Beijing if Russia and China provide guarantees of halting the production of such weapons.

The INF Treaty was signed between the Soviet Union and the United States on December 8, 1987 in Washington, DC. The US accused Russia of violating the agreement for the first time in July 2014. Later, Washington repeated the claims on many occasions, while Moscow rejected them, also accusing the US of developing missiles, which are tested at a range prohibited by the treaty and deploying missile defense elements, which may be used for launching short- and intermediate-range missiles.