China has stated that it will not participate in negotiations on nuclear arms control and reduction, including a possible multilateral format involving the United States and Russia. This was announced by China's representative to the UN in Geneva, Jian Shen, writes The Moscow Times.
Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Sergei Bobylev Sputnik Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
According to the Chinese diplomat, China's nuclear potential is significantly smaller than the arsenals of the US and Russia, so Beijing does not consider it expedient to join such negotiations at the current stage.
Jian Shen emphasized that the main responsibility for nuclear disarmament should lie with countries possessing the largest nuclear arsenals. It is they, in his opinion, who should be the first to undertake significant and verifiable arms reductions.
Earlier, on February 6, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington would continue to maintain and modernize its nuclear arsenal to negotiate "from a position of strength." He noted that the US would not agree to treaties that could jeopardize its security, but remains interested in reducing nuclear weapons.
Rubio also said that the old arms control system, based on bilateral treaties between the US and Russia, no longer corresponds to modern realities. The reason is China's significant buildup of nuclear potential. According to him, new agreements must take into account that the US now has two nuclear competitors at once.
In addition, the head of the State Department reminded that Russia suspended its participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty back in 2023, citing years of violations. Therefore, the expiration of the treaty on February 5, according to the American side, does not automatically mean the start of a new arms race.
In turn, Russia's Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, stated that Moscow is ready for negotiations on nuclear arms control or reduction, but only on condition of the participation of Great Britain and France.
US President Donald Trump had earlier also advocated for the development of a new agreement instead of extending New START, calling this treaty poorly prepared and, moreover, grossly violated. He proposed entrusting experts with the creation of an updated long-term agreement.
According to Axios, after the expiration of New START-3, the US and Russia agreed to adhere to its terms for another six months and determine the future of the agreement during that time.
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Comments
А то, что у СССР было аж 3 ядерных конкурента, не было проблемой? Если КИтай, то и Британия с Францией должны участвовать