China Rejects Trilateral Nuclear Disarmament Talks with Washington and Moscow

In a move that complicates global nuclear disarmament efforts, China has firmly rejected calls to participate in nuclear arms talks with the United States and Russia. This decision came after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his hope of including Beijing in the negotiations. China's stance underscores the ongoing disagreement over which nations bear the primary responsibility for disarmament.

Trump had told reporters at the White House that "nuclear disarmament is a very big goal," adding his belief that Russia and China would "be willing to do it." He emphasized the need to "stop nuclear proliferation."

However, the Chinese response was swift and definitive. Geng Shuang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, described the expectation for China to join trilateral talks as "illogical and unrealistic," highlighting the vast disparity in nuclear capabilities between China and the U.S. Geng stated that "the countries with the largest nuclear arsenals should seriously fulfill their own and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament."

These developments occur at a time when the U.S. and Russia together possess roughly 90% of the world's nuclear weapons. It's worth noting that Russia withdrew in 2023 from the last remaining arms control treaty with Washington.

According to a 2024 estimate by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the U.S. has 3,708 warheads and Russia has 4,380, not counting those slated for dismantling. In contrast, China currently possesses 500 warheads, an increase of 90 from the previous year. This places China third, followed by France (290) and the UK (225).

Beijing maintains that it supports the principle of nuclear disarmament but has repeatedly refused Washington's invitations to join the talks. China asserts that its nuclear forces are kept at the "minimum level required for national security" and that it is "not engaged in an arms race with any country."