U.S. sees 'limited' opportunity for talks with China on nuclear arms
United States is pushing China to break a longstanding resistance to nuclear arms talks, seeing a «limited opportunity» for early two-way conversations on the superpowers' approach to the issue, a senior Biden administration official said.
The renewed U.S. push for nuclear talks comes as U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met top Chinese officials in Beijing to try and resolve gaping differences on a broad range of issues.
«We saw some limited opportunity to open, at least the beginnings of conversation on the subject in the last months, but it's been fits and starts, and I think it will continue to be fits and starts,» said the official, who sought anonymity because the matter is a sensitive one.
«They've signalled some willingness to start nibbling around the margins of arms control, but then they're not very forward-leaning about following through on that,» the official said.
«So, I would say in 2024 the conversation is slightly more ripe than it was in 2022. But there's a long way to go for us to be in the type of rigorous dialogue that we should be in.»
The Biden administration's assessment of the possibility and scope for such conversations has not previously been reported. The subject was not addressed in White House-released summaries of Sullivan's meetings.
China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Referring to tension over the disputed South China Sea between China and a U.S. treaty ally, the Philippines, the official said decisions on long-term
