Mao's remark is the second nuclear statement issued by China in this month. On October 10, Sun Xiaobo, director general of the Department of Arms Control under the Chinese Foreign Ministry, urged nuclear-armed countries to commit to no first-use of nukes.

In 1964, China detonated its first atomic bomb, dubbed Project 596. In 1968, American track and field athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in the Black Power salute during the medal ceremony for the 200-meter dash at the Mexico City Olympics. Smith said the gesture was meant to show that "we are black and we are proud of it."

Marking the 60th anniversary of its first atomic bomb test, China has called on nuclear-armed nations to adopt a no-first-use policy, reinforcing its own stance on limiting the threat of nuclear escalation.