China to skip US-Russian nuclear disarmament talks
China has declined to join US-Russian nuclear disarmament talks in Vienna on June 22, accusing Washington of issuing a “surreal” invite. Russia had already indicated it did not expect China to agree to join the talks.
Jun 10, 2020
China is not interested in participating in nuclear disarmament talks with the US and Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday.
“We noticed that the US has been dragging China into this issue … whenever it is raised,” Hua said, adding that Washington’s claims that it wanted to negotiate in good faith “feel extremely ridiculous and even surreal.”
The talks, scheduled for June 22 in Vienna, will involve US envoy Marshall Billingslea and Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Read more at https://www.dw.com/en/china-to-skip-us-russian-nuclear-disarmament-talks/a-53769504
Nuclear arms control may be ‘new battlefield’ in US-China rivalry as Beijing refuses to join treaty talks
Jun 11, 2020
Nuclear disarmament could become a new front in the deepening rift between China and the United States, after Beijing refused to join talks with Washington and Moscow to extend a key treaty.
US arms control envoy Marshall Billingslea on Wednesday urged Beijing to rethink that decision ahead of the negotiations later this month.
Billingslea will meet Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov in Vienna on June 22 to discuss extending New Start, a nuclear arms reduction treaty negotiated under Barack Obama that will expire in February.
“China just said it has no intention to participate in trilateral negotiations. It should reconsider,” Billingslea tweeted.
Read more at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3088476/nuclear-arms-control-may-be-new-battlefield-us-china-rivalry
