USA06 October, 20262 min read
Trump Administration Discusses Reciprocal Nuclear Site Visits With China Amid Nuclear Risk Concerns
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Trump administration discusses reciprocal visits to Chinese and U.S. nuclear sites. Talks are informal and preliminary, with aims to reduce nuclear risks and broaden dialogue.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Reciprocal nuclear site visits
The Trump administration discussed beginning reciprocal nuclear site visits with China and planned to continue pushing for the possibility during in-person meetings in the coming months, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The discussions remained informal and preliminary, and they included the possibility of visiting U.S. Department of Energy national labs and China’s equivalent facilities, with the U.S. open to discussing visits to nuclear testing sites.
The talks unfolded amid mounting U.S. concerns about China’s rapidly growing nuclear weapons program after the last remaining arms control agreement between the US and Russia expired last year.
Paul Dean, a vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative nonprofit, said reciprocal visits would be "an extremely valuable confidence-building measure" that could lay the informational and diplomatic foundation for additional work to reduce nuclear risk between the two countries.
China’s stance and skepticism
The CNN reporting said China remains adamant that it will not engage on discussions that could limit its nuclear buildup, even as the U.S. and Russia possess arsenals far larger than China’s.
An American official told CNN that Xi Jinping did not leave the door open to discussing a trilateral agreement, pointing to the US and Russian nuclear arsenals being larger than China’s.
Paul D. (Pauline) Denn, a former U.S. State Department official and arms control specialist, said reciprocal visits would be a highly valuable confidence-building step and could help establish an informational and diplomatic basis for more work to reduce nuclear risks.
A former U.S. official who engaged China in track two discussions said, "It has to be taken seriously. It could be a great start," while other former officials and experts warned that China’s bringing up the idea does not necessarily mean readiness to make concessions on the size of its nuclear arsenal.
Arms control context and next steps
CNN said the nuclear discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials at the working level so far this year have largely occurred on the sidelines of gatherings by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, known as the P5. The reporting also said Trump expressed support for trilateral arms control negotiations between the US, Russia and China when he met Xi Jinping last month, but they did not discuss the possibility of site visits during their talks.
The Gulf outlet’s write-up said Reuters had not yet verified CNN’s report that Washington intended to continue pressure through direct meetings in the coming months. The CNN reporting said Trump and Xi are expected to meet twice later this year, and it expected further lower-level discussions on possible nuclear site visits to have taken place by the time the leaders meet again.