China, US Discuss Nuclear Arms Control for First Time in Four Years

Military vehicles carrying DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missiles participate in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. and Chinese officials met in Washington this week to discuss nuclear nonproliferation and maintaining open lines of communication between the two nations.

A delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State Mallory Stewart met with communist China’s Director-General of Arms Control Sun Xiaobo on Nov. 6, according to a State Department readout.

The U.S. delegation included senior officials from the Departments of State, Defense, and Energy, and the National Security Council.

The meeting follows an October report by the Pentagon which found that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) now possesses more than 500 nuclear weapons, meeting that target more than two years before U.S. military officials previously believed the regime would.

A previous Pentagon report estimated that China could obtain 1,000 warheads by 2030.

It also follows the revelation earlier this year that the CCP now fields more long-range, nuclear-capable missile launchers than the United States.

The State Department’s readout said that such meetings are necessary to “responsibly manage” the relationship between the United States and China’s ruling communist party. The statement further described the discussions as “candid” and “in-depth.”

It said the U.S. side used the talks to emphasize the importance of transparency and practical engagements to reduce the strategic risks involved with such weapons. It is important to “manage competition” and “avert an unconstrained arms race” without resorting to outright conflict.

The event was the first U.S.-China arms control talk in more than four years.

China’s communist leadership has remained reticent about its nuclear arsenal and, until now, has refused to engage in nuclear nonproliferation and strategic stability talks with the Biden administration.

The regime has frequently demanded that the United States first eliminate most of its nuclear arsenal before requesting that China enter into arms control talks.

Relatedly, CCP propaganda outlet China Daily published an editorial shortly after the meeting saying that the regime’s nuclear weapons were “purely for defense purposes.”

The CCP’s unrestrained push to create more nuclear weapons has nevertheless triggered blowback from the international community.

Earlier in the year, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the regime was “growing its nuclear arsenal without any transparency about its capabilities.”

“We should push back against efforts that risk undermining the existing nonproliferation framework, including the treaty on the provision of nuclear weapons,” Mr. Stoltenberg said at the time.

He added that China is part of a broader movement of authoritarian nations—including Russia, Iran, and North Korea—which seeks to destabilize the international community through nuclear proliferation.