US, China Hold Informal Nuclear Arms Talks, First Time In 5 Years
China assured the US it won’t use nuclear threats over Taiwan, easing US concerns about potential nuclear escalation in a conflict.
US and China resumed nuclear arms talks in March, ending a 5-year hiatus.
China assured the US it won’t use nuclear threats over Taiwan, easing US concerns about potential nuclear escalation in a conflict.
The talks addressed US fears of China’s nuclear option if it faced defeat in a Taiwan conflict, which Beijing claims as its territory, contrary to Taipei’s stance, according to an exclusive report by Reuters.
According to David Santoro, the US organizer of the Track Two talks, Chinese representatives confidently assured the US side that they could triumph in a conventional conflict over Taiwan without resorting to nuclear weapons.
Santoro shared this detail with Reuters, providing a rare glimpse into the talks.
The Track Two dialogue involves former officials and academics who, while not currently in government, possess authoritative insights into their government’s stance.
In contrast, official government-to-government negotiations are classified as Track One.
A US delegation of around half a dozen individuals, comprising former officials and scholars, engaged in two-day talks with a Chinese team of scholars, analysts, and former People’s Liberation Army officers in a Shanghai hotel conference room.
Although the State Department did not participate in the March meeting, a spokesperson acknowledged the value of Track Two talks, stating that they can be “beneficial”.
However, the spokesperson emphasized that such discussions have limitations, as they cannot replace official negotiations that require authoritative representation on sensitive and compartmentalized issues within the Chinese government. The Chinese delegation and the defense ministry declined to comment on the meeting.
Despite significant economic and geopolitical tensions, the US and China engaged in informal nuclear arms talks, a rare dialogue between the two nuclear powers.
The discussions took place amid accusations of bad faith from both sides, with Washington and Beijing at odds on various issues.
Previous Track One talks in November stalled, with a senior US official expressing frustration over China’s lack of engagement. The Pentagon has raised concerns about China’s expanding nuclear arsenal, which grew by over 20% between 2021 and 2023, and warned that Beijing might consider nuclear action to prevent a conventional defeat in Taiwan, which could threaten the Chinese Communist Party’s rule.
China has consistently reserved the right to use military force to assert its claim over Taiwan and has intensified its military presence around the island over the past four years, ramping up tensions in the region.
