Number of nuclear tests by major nuclear powers
A senior Chinese diplomat has told US news agency CNN that China would be “happy” to join trilateral nuclear arms control talks with the United States and Russia, on the condition that Washington reduces its nuclear arsenal to a level similar to that of China’s.
After unilaterally withdrawing from several key arms control and verification treaties over the last 2 years, US President Donald Trump has stated on several occasions that he wants China to join in a three-way treaty designed to replace the Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, known as the New START nuclear agreement, between Washington and Moscow, which expires in February 2021.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced that the US is leaving the Open Skies treaty. The treaty was signed in 1992 and took effect in 2002. It offers all signatories, regardless of size, a role in gathering information about military forces and is regarded as a wide-ranging international effort to promote military transparency through ‘mutual aerial observation’.
The Trump administration also pulled the United States out of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia last year, which had limited the development and deployment of short-range ground-based missiles. In 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which had been negotiated with Iran and other major powers (Germany, Russia, China, the UK, France and the European Union) to end the standoff over the US’ and Israel’s unproven accusations and suspicions regarding Iran’s nuclear energy program.
In a parallel move to these developments, in May of this year the Trump administration announced that it was considering the resumption of nuclear tests.
Lassina Zerbo, the executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), the international agency responsible for monitoring nuclear tests, warned in response that a US return to testing being contemplated by the Trump administration would present a “grave challenge to global peace and security”
The US signed the CTBT in 1996 but the Senate voted against ratifying it. The treaty has been signed and ratified by 168 states but it will not come into force until the US, China, Israel and Egypt have ratified it, and it is signed and ratified by India, Pakistan and North Korea.
Meanwhile, the US has observed a voluntary moratorium on tests, as have the UK, France, Russia and China, and the CTBTO preparatory commission was established to set up a network of 300 seismic, hydro-acoustic, infrasound and radionuclide sensors around the world. The network of sensors helped detect nuclear tests by India, Pakistan and North Korea.
The possibility of the US renewing nuclear tests was strongly criticized by Chinese officials at the time, calling it a dangerous signal that would ignite a renewed arms race.
Now, the New START treaty is also under considerable pressure. Under the treaty, the United States and Russia agreed to limit deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550 and continue with on-site inspection protocols, test launch notifications, and data exchanges, vital mechanisms for ensuring a degree of predictability especially during periods of tension.
Trump has repeatedly called for China to join the bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the US and Russia, using this as an excuse to delay substantive negotiations with Russia over renewing the treaty before it expires next February.
Speaking on 24 June, Marshall Billingslea, the top US envoy for nuclear negotiations, echoed Trump’s demands, claiming that Beijing had an “obligation” to negotiate, and accusing the Chinese government of engaging in a “rapid buildup” of its nuclear program. However, such a claim is extremely disingenuous as the Chinese nuclear arsenal remains for smaller than that of the US both in terms of number and firepower.
The Chinese military currently has far fewer nuclear weapons than either the US or Russia, both of which have at least 5,000 nuclear warheads each. In comparison, it is estimated that China only about 320 nuclear weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Up until now Beijing has said joining the bilateral treaty between the nuclear superpowers is out of the question, given the disparity between their respective nuclear arsenals.
Preliminary negotiations are already underway between the US and Russia, but the Chinese government is refusing to take part in any nuclear agreement with the US under current conditions.
At a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Fu Cong, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s arms control department, said that while China is a “strong advocate for nuclear disarmament,” Beijing’s position on trilateral talks had been made clear on “numerous occasions.”
“I can assure you that if the US says that they are ready to come down to the Chinese level (of nuclear weapons), China will be happy to participate the next day. But actually we know that’s not going to happen.
China has no interest in joining the so-called trilateral negotiations, given the huge gap between the nuclear arsenal of China and those of the US and the Russian Federation.
For us, this trilateral negotiation is nothing but a ‘hoax,’ to use a word of the US President.”
Fu dismissed claims that there was a rapid escalation of China’s nuclear missile capabilities and accused the US of trying to use China as an excuse to shirk their treaty commitments.
“The real purpose is to get rid of all restrictions and have a free hand in seeking military superiority over any adversary, real or imagined,” he said. LINK
Experts believe there are nine nuclear-capable states: China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. All but North Korea are believed to have weapons advanced enough to be readily deployed.
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I was always algainst denuclearization. Many Humans are so dumb they only understand the threat of a 100% total annihilation. The less nukes the more effective ABM systems the higher the chance somebody will try his luck. The only way to win is to not play…
America would also be happy if China stopped making dot lines in the South China-American Sea, buying up Africa and seeking global hegemony, and that Russia stopped goobling land and gold masses for itself in Crimea and Arctic.
But unfortunately thats not the case, and as long China and Putin continue to show contempt for the International Rules of Usury Order, America will continue to defend itself against hostile aggression and robbery of our intellectuel property! Therefore we will continue to test nuclear bombs and no one is gonna decide where we will test it or not test it. We mean business, and shithole countries will learn to behave and stop messing around with an American and our free and civilised world!!
Actually Russia is siding more with the US against China. Putin is the man of the zionist cabal and Netanyahu is his puppet master. There is no doubt. After I watched Putin walking hand in hand at the March of Immortals in Moscow last year. It is not surprising that Russia is turning a blind eye on Israel bombing Assad and Iranians in Syria. His mask fell down.
LOL why would russia side with a country that want to see it destroyed. Russia were the reason why isreali plans no longer fly in syria airspace. Russia gave syria state of the art new jets to solidify that. because of russia now isreal hits are less severe than they would have been if russia did not help. Russia does not have to take harsh actions against isreal because the whole world already see isreal for what it is. And the March that your talking about happens every year to remember Russian jews not isrealis. we even have jews in our country that are against zionist. your whole comment made no sense to a person that sees reality.
The game is difficult. Many people dont know history. If the knew history as Putin, they would know Israel is a British colony doing what is told or else……!
Sovjet and Russia tried and try to show support for the trapped Israeli people to diminish anglo colony dependence. The March of Immortals in Moscow and Nethanyahu, is because many Jews fought and died with Russians in WWII against fascism.
Nice try soros,but in the end the sharp end of the iron sickle will devastate hato scam: iq of ye shoesize!
If you read all the Putin official talks on Israel in Russia official Kremlin website, Putin consistently swear by Israel as Russia highest ally. Next is India, another expansionism nation like Russia.
Russia’s Unspoken Relationship With Israel and the Assassination of Maj. Gen. Soleimani By Andrew Korybko https://www.globalresearch.ca/russian-eulogies-soleimani-ariel-sharon-shimon-peres-bush-sr/5699615
Your points on Russia and China are great. but you sure forgot about the U.S lol So many countries want the U.S to strart staying in there own country and to stop acting like they are the most important in the world. lol the Africans chose to work with China not the U.S so get over it. The U.S are only good for killing, they are not like the chinese that think more on development. Ever since the U.S was the only sole superpower what exactly did they do to help countries? all I saw was billions of dead people and 7 destroyed countreis. Maybe the reason so many countries are running into china and russia hands is becouse of the u.s oooh and free market????lol your market is owned by china.
There you go again. Stop taking Meth.
No deal then. With that kind of position, one would think that China would veto sanctions against Nokor or Iran. lol
Only the Imperial attitude of America, can believe a nuclear war is winnable.
The rest of us, just await the final, dumb action that they will take to end humanity.
Thats okay, they are also the weakest of any country with a nuclear arsenal.. They can destroy themselves before the targeted country is gone.. NLM!!! nookclear lives matter..
Actually China said that if both US and Russia decrease their nuclear stock. In a way China gave the finger to both US and Russia. Kudos to China to reveal the hypocrisy.
Good one but the clowns in the DC actually believe that the sum of Chinese and Russian nukes should be counted as one arsenal vs the U.S. arsenal.
I heard as much from FOX, I have to stop watching that NW. No mention of why they ignore France / U.K. arsenals which is really funny since they are actually in an alliance called NATO while Russia and China do not have any defense treaties and fought a war in the 1970’s.
Well then the US should also add in France, Israel and UK into the mix as well..
Russia sides with the Indiots. Let India and Russia be counted as one arsenal.
Russians hate the Chinese. They are waiting for Europe to be Far Reich to defect to the US during a trump oddministration.
Russia wants Salvini, Le Pen, AfD, Wilders, Orban and trump to be in the Russia camp to fight against the rise of a free China.
Never trust Putin. A Putin led Far Reich with trump as ally is Netanyahu’s nightmare for the world.
Save it for the gaybar incest.Get Thee Behind Me Satan,Jesus is Lord: Begone vermin!
These are what Russians said too. They don’t trust even their own gov or people. As they said in satire, what’s more if Russia old proverb also taught Russians one is fool if not to plunder others.
They have historically invade and occupy neighbors like US-EU Vikings and Indians whenever opportunity arise. It still occupying 1.5Mil sqKM of China land. That’s how Russia grew to biggest.
Any deal should include China and NK too, never trust communists.
Never trust incest/lgbtq/soros/cia/eu-epp/hato/bush/clinton/ So you should fear heterosexuals: We don’t,then again we know usa used nukes not the communists,sadly it worked on japanese! Assfloggeds:
Washington DC is incapable of negotiating with one peer adversary, so not a hope in hell of proper negotiating with two.
China beside demand US & Russia reduce warheads to level of China, UK & Fr (300), it should also demand:
-All their nuclear bombers and nuclear submarines be reduced to Chinese level.
-Abiding to UN law, US, UK, Fr & Russia must also with China as P5, sanctioned India, Pak and Israel like they did to NK & Iran, but 100x stricter as they are known to have 150~250 warheads illegally.
-In fact, India & Israel are to be embargo completely from any global trade & finance, deny any access to nuclear material, since both refused to sign the Non Proliferation Treaty.
But US-Canada-Oz and Russia have openly violated UN law & NFT to supply both. Thus US & Russia have no moral ground to speak in international stage on nuclear control. The only reason they reduce warheads is to cut maintenance cost.