Why it matters
Nuclear disarmament involves reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal of achieving a world free from such arms.
The U.S. and Russia control nearly 90% of the global nuclear stockpile, which makes their bilateral discussions critical to maintaining global security.
The New START Treaty, the last major arms control agreement, limits the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 per side, but it is set to expire in 2026.
The big picture
China insists its arsenal is far smaller than those of the U.S. and Russia, and has rejected calls to participate in trilateral talks.
U.S. and Russian officials have acknowledged that discussions are ongoing, but have admitted that expert-level negotiations are currently not taking place.
Rising tensions over the potential resumption of nuclear testing by the U.S. and reciprocal threats from Russia add further complexity to the disarmament agenda.
What she's saying:
Responding to a question about the U.S. invitation to China to join the talks, Mao Ning reiterated China's firm position on the issue.
What’s next
Without a successor to New START, for the first time since the 1970s, U.S. and Russian arsenals may be unconstrained.
China’s refusal underscores the challenge of expanding arms control frameworks to include all nuclear powers.
Go deeper:
Putin warns of reciprocal measures if US resumes nuclear weapons testing
Hossein Amiri - H.Jalalifar
