China now has 500 warheads and is building its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country, think tank says
Business InsiderJun 19
Report: US, China Held First Informal Nuclear Talks in Five Years
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Image copyright: Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
At the first semi-official bilateral nuclear talks in five years, Chinese delegates in March reassured their US counterparts that Beijing will not use, or threaten to use, nuclear weapons against Taiwan, Reuters reported on Friday.
According to the report, scholar David Santoro — the US organizer of the "Track Two" talks — said the Chinese representatives expressed firm belief that China "can prevail in a conventional fight over Taiwan without using nuclear weapons."
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
The Chinese assurance that Beijing will not offensively use nuclear weapons against Taiwan is good news. However, such talks cannot replace formal negotiations, and the reality is that China recently rejected US efforts to resume bilateral arms control talks. Moreover, Beijing's claim to maintain a no-first-use policy is increasingly at odds with its growing nuclear stockpile. To make the world safer, China needs to enter into basic negotiations to avoid the risks of uncontrolled nuclear escalation.
Pro-China narrative
The talks may be an encouraging sign, but the reporting paints a biased picture. It's the US that is fueling the nuclear race and engaging in nuclear saber-rattling to allegedly "protect" Taiwan. Moreover, Washington dismissed PRC calls for a no-first-use treaty between nuclear powers, while holding many times more nuclear warheads than China. Beijing remains convinced that the only way to avoid the danger of an apocalyptic disaster is through nuclear disarmament.
