• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

  • Policy Issues
    • Fact Sheets
    • Countries
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Non-Proliferation
    • Nuclear Security
    • Biological & Chemical Weapons
    • Defense Spending
    • Missile Defense
    • No First Use
  • Nukes of Hazard
    • Podcast
    • Blog
      • Next Up In Arms Control
    • Videos
  • Join Us
  • Press
  • About
    • Staff
    • Boards & Experts
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financials and Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Search
You are here: Home / Press Room / Center in the News / Op-ed: How to Jumpstart a Dialogue With China on Arms Control

December 3, 2021

Op-ed: How to Jumpstart a Dialogue With China on Arms Control

Research Analyst Samuel Hickey wrote an op-ed in The Diplomat arguing that engaging China in talks for its accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime could open the way for broader arms control talks.

“The November 15 virtual summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping produced no breakthroughs, but clearly both Washington and Beijing are acutely aware of the risk of an incident that could spiral out of control. Both Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stressed the need to avoid a new Cold War mindset, but the vast disparity in nuclear stockpiles between the two countries and Chinese skepticism will likely keep traditional arms control steps such as bilateral warhead reductions or caps off the table for now.

Engaging China in talks to begin an accession process for the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) could, however, prove a useful entry point into broader arms control talks. China is not an MTCR partner but agreed in 1992 to adhere to MTCR guidelines, although it is questionable if Beijing has followed through.

As opposed to observations that Washington and Beijing are engaged in a zero-sum game, proliferation is a policy concern for both states. Past notions of including Beijing in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty were never taken seriously because the treaty simply does not allow for participation beyond the United States and Russia. However, the necessity of engaging Beijing remains. Arms control dialogues are a forum in which to air disagreements and can evolve to match the strategic situation. A new series of dialogues is needed with China, and ideally, one meeting could snowball into the next.” Read more

Posted in: Asia, Center in the News, China, Press Room, Treaties, United States

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Strengthening Biosecurity Efforts Without the Federal Government June 18, 2025
  • لماذا وسّعت إسرائيل أهدافها إلى منشآت الطاقة الإيرانية؟ June 15, 2025
  • Report: Global Nuclear Weapons Spending Surpassed $100 Billion Last Year June 13, 2025
  • Обстрелы Израиля и месть Ирана ][ Протесты в Калифорнии — только начало? June 13, 2025
  • Fact Sheet: The Arms Trade Treaty June 9, 2025

Footer

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

820 1st Street NE, Suite LL-180
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202.546.0795

Issues

  • Fact Sheets
  • Countries
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Non-Proliferation
  • Nuclear Security
  • Defense Spending
  • Biological and Chemical Weapons
  • Missile Defense
  • No First Use

Countries

  • China
  • France
  • India and Pakistan
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • North Korea
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom

Explore

  • Nukes of Hazard blog
  • Nukes of Hazard podcast
  • Nukes of Hazard videos
  • Front and Center
  • Fact Sheets

About

  • About
  • Meet the Staff
  • Boards & Experts
  • Press
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Financials and Annual Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Council for a Livable World
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2025 Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Privacy Policy

Charity Navigator GuideStar Seal of Transparency