WSJ: US in secret talks with China on nuclear arms control
The US administration doubts that China is complying with a 30-year moratorium on nuclear tests, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports, citing sources. Based on these suspicions, Washington is now in secret talks with China over its nuclear arsenal.
The US administration doubts that China is complying with a 30-year moratorium on nuclear tests, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports, citing sources. Based on these suspicions, Washington is now in secret talks with China over its nuclear arsenal.
The discussions took place on the sidelines of multilateral meetings in Geneva, New York and Moroccan Casablanca. U.S. officials urged China to respond to accusations of secretly conducting low-yield nuclear tests at the Lobnor test site.
The U.S. is proposing new verification and monitoring mechanisms, including the deployment of radiation sensors and seismic instruments, and insisting on prior notification of ballistic missile launches. As the WSJ notes, the consultations are aimed at reducing risks and take place in parallel with the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States. The next round of negotiations will take place in October, the publication learned.
The main subject of the dispute remains Washington’s suspicions that China is violating the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The Chinese authorities categorically deny this.
