China has suspended nascent nuclear arms control talks with the United States, its foreign ministry said Wednesday, in protest over Washington’s arms sales to the democratically-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
The Chinese move represents a potentially serious setback for global arms control efforts, with Beijing joining Moscow in refusing to discuss with Washington measures to curb a nuclear arms race, analysts said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said repeated U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in recent months had “seriously undermined the political atmosphere conducive to continuing arms control consultations.”
“Accordingly, the Chinese side has decided to suspend discussions with the US on a new round of consultations on arms control and non-proliferation. The responsibility lies entirely with the US,” Lin said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Lin said China is willing to maintain communication on international arms control, but the United States “must respect China’s core interests and create necessary conditions for dialogue and exchanges.”
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said China has chosen to follow Russia’s lead in saying that arms control engagement cannot continue while there are other challenges in bilateral relations.
“We believe this approach undermines strategic stability and increases the risk of arms race dynamics,” Miller told reporters.
“Unfortunately, by suspending these consultations, China has chosen not to pursue efforts that would manage strategic risks and prevent a costly arms race, but we, the United States, will remain open to developing and implementing concrete risk reduction measures with China.”
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has advocated a policy of “compartmentalization,” in which discussions on nuclear arms control are separated from other contentious Sino-U.S. issues.
The Chinese move comes just over a month after the Biden administration said the United States may need to deploy more strategic nuclear weapons to deter growing threats from Chinese and Russian arsenals.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the human rights group Arms Control Association, said the United States, Russia and China are legally bound, as signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (the cornerstone of global arms control), to “engage in negotiations to prevent an arms race.”
“The only way to achieve this is through serious dialogue, and Russia’s refusal to do so and China’s decision to do so are very serious setbacks,” he said.
U.S. and Chinese officials resumed nuclear weapons talks in November, but formal arms control negotiations were not expected in the near future, despite U.S. concerns about China’s rapid buildup of nuclear weapons.
The United States estimates that China has 500 operational nuclear warheads and will likely have more than 1,000 by 2030.
U.S. officials have expressed frustration at Beijing’s lack of interest in discussing measures to reduce the risks associated with nuclear weapons. But Beijing has long argued that the United States already has a much larger arsenal.
The United States has an arsenal of about 3,700 nuclear warheads, of which about 1,419 are deployed strategic nuclear warheads. Russia has about 1,550 deployed nuclear weapons and, according to the Federation of American Scientists, an arsenal of 4,489 nuclear warheads.
The United States is Taiwan’s largest international supporter and arms supplier, even though it has no formal diplomatic relations with the country. China has repeatedly demanded that these arms sales cease.
Taiwan has been protesting for four years against the intensification of Chinese military activities near the island, including the almost daily missions of Chinese warplanes and ships.
News Source : www.nbcnews.com
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