China pressures US for nuclear disarmament concessions Suspends arms control negotiations

China has demanded significant concessions from the United States in the realm of nuclear policy following its suspension of arms control talks over Taiwan.

China has demanded that the United States commit to adopting a no-first-use policy on nuclear weapons and abandon its "nuclear umbrella" provided to allies in Europe and Asia.

This call comes after Beijing suspended arms control talks with Washington over Taiwan last week, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry published two working papers related to the "no-first-use of nuclear weapons" policy and nuclear security assurances. These documents were first submitted on July 12 to the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

The NPT aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament, according to the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was opened for signature in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Among its 191 signatories are the five nuclear-weapon states—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—collectively known as the "P5," who are also permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In its working paper, China advocated for a "no-first-use of nuclear weapons initiative" and urged the other P5 members to commit publicly to never being the first to use nuclear weapons "at any time and under any circumstances." The paper encouraged the P5 to negotiate and finalize a treaty with unlimited duration on "mutual no-first-use of nuclear weapons" or issue a political statement to that effect. It also presented four draft elements as a basis for discussion.

China emphasized in the paper that a nuclear war would only bring "huge disasters" to humanity. However, one of the draft elements specified that a state party would have the right to withdraw from the proposed treaty if "extraordinary events" jeopardized the supreme interests of its country.

China has never disclosed the size of its nuclear arsenal, maintaining that it is for self-defense, not for threatening others. However, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated that China possessed about 500 nuclear warheads as of January. The US Defense Department, in its report on China's military power last year, suggested that Beijing might consider using nuclear weapons to restore deterrence if a conventional military defeat in Taiwan gravely threatened the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

China views self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province and has never renounced the use of force to unify the island with the mainland. The US has sold weapons to Taipei for decades, prompting accusations from Beijing of severely undermining its core interests.

On July 17, China's Foreign Ministry announced the suspension of nuclear talks with the US due to American arms sales to Taiwan. The US State Department described China's decision as unfortunate, stating it undermined US-China strategic stability.

Adam Scheinman, the US special representative of the president for nuclear nonproliferation, told the NPT Preparatory Committee that China is expanding its nuclear stockpile while avoiding engagement in arms control, questioning the country's commitment to nuclear restraint.