American diplomats engaged in nuclear arms control discussions with Russian officials in Geneva on Monday and are set to hold similar talks with Chinese representatives today, according to a senior State Department official.
The United States is pushing for a comprehensive new arms control agreement that would include China alongside Russia, following the expiration of the New START treaty, which previously limited missile and warhead deployments between the US and Russia.
However, China’s disarmament ambassador, Shen Jian, stated earlier this month that Beijing would not join nuclear arms control negotiations with Moscow and Washington at this time. Officials have not clarified whether today’s discussions will constitute formal negotiations.
Neither the Chinese nor Russian diplomatic missions in Geneva have responded to requests for comment.
Tensions have been elevated after the United States accused China of conducting a covert nuclear test in June 2020, an allegation that Shen strongly rejected.
The senior American official noted that productive bilateral discussions had already taken place with the United Kingdom and France, both permanent members of the UN Security Council.
“Taking discussions to the five permanent members of the Security Council was the next logical step,” the official said, expressing optimism about the process.
