TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood on Tuesday (May 18) said that Beijing refuses to engage in nuclear talks with Washington.
In his remarks at a conference on nuclear war prevention Tuesday, Wood said that despite China’s rapid buildup of nuclear weapons, “It continues to resist discussing nuclear risk reduction bilaterally with the United States.” He added that the U.S. will “continue to seek in-depth bilateral exchanges on nuclear doctrines, proposed missile launch notification agreements, and more robust crisis communication channels.”
To date, Beijing has not been willing to engage meaningfully or establish expert discussions on the issue.
Wood noted that the U.S. has worked with Russia to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty for another five years and has hoped to do the same with China. He also said he was pleased that Presidents Biden and Putin have agreed to begin a dialogue on strategic stability.
The envoy said that multilateral dialogues such as the Creating an Environment for Nuclear Disarmament initiative and P5 process cannot replace “strong and sustained bilateral channels” that allow more sensitive exchanges on specific flashpoints, postures, and policies between experts.
Wood further stated that the U.S. believes bilateral discussions can help develop measures to reduce the risk of misunderstandings between nuclear-armed states, adding that they can also lay the groundwork for formal arms treaties and progress on nuclear disarmament.
