BEIJING, February 27. /TASS/. Demands for Beijing to participate in the nuclear disarmament dialogue between Moscow and Washington are unfounded and unfeasible, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning told a news briefing.
"The expectation that China join the so-called trilateral nuclear disarmament talks among China, Russia, and the United States at this stage is baseless, unfair, and cannot be met," Mao stated.
The Russian-American Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START) expired on February 5. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that, given the current circumstances, Moscow considers that the parties are no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations under the treaty, including its core provisions. Russia believes it is now free to determine its next steps and intends to act "responsibly and deliberately." The ministry emphasized that Russia's policy regarding START will be based on a comprehensive analysis of US military strategy and the broader strategic environment.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State and presidential national security adviser Marco Rubio recently commented that "for arms control agreements to be meaningful in the 21st century, China must be involved." He also highlighted that China’s nuclear arsenal is sizable and rapidly expanding. The White House echoed this sentiment, asserting that the United States expects to craft a more effective arms control framework following the expiration of the START Treaty.