China rejects US demand to join trilateral nuclear disarmament talks

China formally rejected Friday the US demand that Beijing join proposed trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations with Washington and Moscow, calling the request unrealistic given the vast disparity in nuclear arsenals. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that "China's nuclear forces are not in the same league as those of the US and Russia."

Nuclear Disparity Argument

"It is neither fair, reasonable, nor realistic to ask China to join the nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage," Mao stated, responding to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's call for Beijing to enter a nuclear control deal. She emphasized that the United States, "as a country with a massive nuclear arsenal, bears a special and primary responsibility to earnestly advance nuclear disarmament, which represents the broad consensus of the international community."

US Military Buildup Accusation

Mao also addressed Pentagon reports requesting an additional $12.6 billion to improve surveillance of Chinese military maneuvers, submarines, and satellites. She accused Washington of using the "so-called 'China threat' as a pretext to strengthen its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific, which is not conducive to regional peace and stability and does not serve the interests of countries in the region." The comments reflect Beijing's consistent opposition to what it views as US encirclement and its insistence that American nuclear reductions must precede any Chinese participation in disarmament frameworks.

Strategic Implications

The exchange underscores deepening strategic rivalry between the world's two largest economies, with nuclear arms control emerging as a new front in their competition. While the US and Russia have engaged in decades of arms control negotiations, China has largely remained outside such frameworks, maintaining a smaller but rapidly modernizing nuclear force. Washington's push for Chinese inclusion reflects concerns that Beijing's nuclear expansion could undermine future arms control efforts, while Beijing's rejection signals its determination to set its own pace for nuclear modernization free from external constraints.