China suspends nuclear talks with US over arms sales to Taiwan
GuardianJul 10
China Halts US Nuclear Arms Talks Over Taiwan Support
Above: US-China diplomats meet in the Great Hall of the People on July 18, 2023 in Beijing, China. Image copyright: Florence Lo/Pool/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The PRC's foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that Beijing had suspended a new round of negotiations with the US on arms control and nuclear proliferation over Washington's arms sales to Taiwan.
The ministry said that repeated US weapons sales to the island China considers part of its territory is seriously undermining "the political atmosphere for continuing the arms-control consultations."
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
Given Washington's reckless disregard for adhering to the one-China principle, Beijing's decision is justified. It's bizarre that the US is warning about China's growing nuclear arsenal and a new arms race when it has many times more nuclear warheads. Moreover, Washington isn't defending "democracy" but using Taiwan as a bridgehead against a rising PRC, while NATO is now seeking to become a nuclear alliance. The world's biggest war machine — the United States — is the world's leading threat.
Anti-China narrative
China's move is a significant blow to global arms control efforts, unnecessarily jeopardizing international stability and, therefore, China's own security. In light of Beijing's threats to "reunify" the island with the mainland, the US remains committed to bolstering the defense capabilities of democratic Taiwan. However, despite Beijing's decision, Washington is still open to developing and implementing concrete risk-reduction steps to avoid a new and costly nuclear arms race.
Narrative C
The arguments presented by the US and China to justify their nuclear build-up are irrelevant, given the potential consequences for the international community. The US, China, and Russia are signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and, accordingly, are legally obliged to hold talks to prevent an arms race. The three powers aren't living up to their responsibility for global stability and are taking the world back to times long thought overcome.