Image Credits- Global Times
The Biden administration is getting ready to engage in a discussion with China concerning nuclear arms control, aiming to prevent a potentially dangerous situation of a three-way arms race involving the United States, Beijing, and Moscow.
This meeting, set for Monday, 6th November 2023, is the first of its kind with Beijing since the Obama administration. It will primarily address strategies to diminish the chances of misunderstandings or misjudgments, according to U.S. officials.
Following a visit to Washington by China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that the two nations are planning to engage in discussions shortly. These discussions will cover topics related to arms control, non-proliferation, maritime affairs, and various other matters.
On Monday, discussions regarding arms control will be conducted by Mallory Stewart, a senior State Department official, and Sun Xiaobo, who leads the arms-control department at China’s Foreign Ministry. As of now, the U.S. State Department and China’s embassy in Washington have not provided any specific response regarding the specific timing and format of these talks.
In 2021, the U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, noted that the Chinese and U.S. presidents had mutually agreed to initiate discussions on strategic stability. This reference reflects Washington’s apprehensions about China’s expansion of its nuclear arsenal.
In recent months, there has been a series of diplomatic interactions between the United States and China, primarily initiated by the U.S., to improve and stabilize the deteriorating relationship between the two nations. This deterioration was exacerbated by an incident in which the U.S. allegedly shot down a Chinese spy balloon flying over American territory.