China Freezes Nuclear Arms Control Talks with U.S. Over Taiwan Arms Sales Dispute

July 18, 2024, Beijing -The State Department referred to China’s announcement on Wednesday that it had halted talks with the US over nuclear non-proliferation and arms control as an “unfortunate” reaction to Washington’s armament sales to Taiwan.

The US has been supplying arms to Taiwan, which is self-governing and which China claims is a rebellious province that has to be reunited with the mainland, even by force, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian.

He claimed that despite Beijing’s demonstrations the US actions had seriously harmed the political climate required for the two sides to continue their arms control negotiations.

According to Lin, at this press conference, China has chosen to halt negotiations with the US about starting a new round of weapons control and non-proliferation talks.

 Lin stated The U.S. must have mutual respect for diplomatic talks and further developments, Washington is to be blamed entirely for the distribution of the discussions he added.

Because Taipei and Washington strive to counter China’s increasing dominance in the region, their Strategic Partnership has expanded significantly.

These states of affairs have been catalysed by recent military drills organized by China Near Taiwan to cover the latest developments- Taiwan’s Hourglass: China Tightens the Sands of Geopolitical Time | News India Official

Two military sales to Taiwan totalling over $300 million were authorized by Washington in June; the majority of the shipments were spare and repair parts for the F-16 fighter jets on the island.

As of May 2023, China had over 500 nuclear warheads in operation, and by 2030, it is expected to have more than 1,000, according to the report.

Russia presently has about 4,500 nuclear weapons, while the United States has about 3,700, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. China has 410 warheads.

Washington, on its part, expressed disapproval of China’s decision to end the negotiations.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that “China has chosen to follow Russia’s lead in asserting that engagement on arms control can’t proceed when there are other challenges in the bilateral relationship.”

The recent talks on nuclear non-proliferation and arms control offered a chance to prevent the world’s superpowers from producing nuclear weapons and to end this endeavour, which is reminiscent of the Cold War competition to amass the largest and most formidable nuclear arsenal.

China and Russia have been in a strategic alliance for a number of years, and both nations aim to resist dominance of the European Union and the United States of America, the global superpower.

Although there are distinct challenges associated with American elections as Joe Biden’s rival, Donald Trump has made it clear in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that was released on Tuesday that “I think Taiwan should pay us for defence.” “We’re just like an insurance company, you know.”

Link for the Trump interview transcript- Donald Trump Bloomberg Interview: Full Transcript, Fact-Checked, this adds different dimensions to these occurrences.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse.

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Mohammad Kaif ZaidiNews Writer

Mohammad Kaif Zaidi is a student of MA Mass Communication and Journalism at Aligarh Muslim University. His background is strongly backed by his previous experience in the vibrant spectrum of mass communication and journalism. He possesses a creative and technical personality with a robust approach towards his work.

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