US holds secret talks with China over nuclear arsenal concerns
The United States is holding secret talks with China over concerns about Beijing's nuclear arsenal expansion and alleged violations of a 30-year moratorium on nuclear tests, with discussions taking place during multilateral meetings in Geneva, New York, and Casablanca.
Consensus
- The United States is conducting secret talks with China regarding China's nuclear arsenal.
- The talks are taking place on the sidelines of multilateral meetings in Geneva, New York, and Kasablanca.
- The U.S. suspects China of violating a 30-year moratorium on nuclear testing.
- China denies the allegations of violating the moratorium.
- The next round of talks is expected in October.
- The U.S. is seeking new verification mechanisms, including radiation and seismic sensors, and advance notification of ballistic missile launches.
Points of divergence
- The talks are aimed at reducing risks and are occurring in parallel with a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the U.S. — kommersant
- China Daily reported on August 5 that China publicly demonstrated capabilities for an aerial nuclear strike, though details about when or during which exercises the footage was taken were not disclosed. — vedomosti
- CNN reported in February that the U.S. suspects China of developing a new generation of nuclear weapons. — vedomosti
- The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) of 1996 has not entered into force because not enough countries ratified it. — interfax
- In February, Thomas DiNanno, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, stated that the U.S. has evidence that China conducted nuclear tests in violation of the moratorium and concealed data. — interfax
- The Pentagon estimates that China will have over 600 nuclear warheads by 2025 and aims to reach more than 1,000 by 2030. — interfax
- China refuses to enter negotiations on limiting its nuclear arsenal, citing that it has significantly fewer nuclear weapons than the U.S. — interfax
Coverage (3 sources)
- WSJ: USA conduct secret talks with China on nuclear weapons control — Коммерсантъ
- WSJ: US raised topic of Beijing's nuclear arsenal expansion in talks with China — Ведомости
- WSJ learns of secret US and China consultations on Beijing's nuclear arsenal expansion — Интерфакс
Key entities
- USA
- WSJ
- China
- China
- Beijing
- Washington
- Moscow
- INTERFAX.RU
- Donald Trump
- Geneva
- The Wall Street Journal
- New York
- Administration
- Casablanca