WASHINGTON: China will lead talks among the five original nuclear-armed states to define arms control terms, the group said, a step that might ultimately bring greater clarity about its nuclear arsenal and strategy.
A working group of the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China is expected to launch talks this summer on a glossary of nuclear terms, an arcane but necessary step for wider talks on disarmament. China is the most secretive about its arsenal, its stockpile of fissile material and its nuclear doctrine, analysts say.
Under the treaty, which entered into force in 1970, the five committed to pursuing disarmament while the other signatories committed not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
Rose Gottemoeller, the acting US under secretary of state arms control and international security, said the United States and Russia have a far better grasp of each other’s nuclear posture than they do of China’s.
‘The fact that they are shouldering the responsibilities for this working group, I think, is a good sign of their interest of developing more mutual cooperation of this kind, leading to greater predictability and greater mutual confidence.’ Gottemoeller stressed the group’s aim was to achieve greater openness about all five countries’ programs.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association nonprofit group, said the United States has been the most transparent about its nuclear capabilities and Britain, France, Russia and especially China ‘have a long way to go.’ ‘China has been the least forthcoming,’ he said. According to Arms Control Association estimates, the United States has about 5,000 warheads, Russia 5,500, China about 240, France fewer than 300 and Britain up to 225.
Stephen Rademaker, a former senior State Department official under President George W Bush, said ‘The United States for a long time has tried to initiate a comprehensive dialogue with China, unfortunately, China has resisted discussing those kinds of issues in any level of detail,’ he said. (Reuters)