【Wen / Observers Network, Wang Shichun】 The New START Treaty, which limits the deployment of missiles and nuclear warheads between the United States and Russia, expired on February 5th this month.

Reuters cited a senior U.S. State Department official who revealed that on February 23 local time, Russian and U.S. delegations held secret talks in Geneva, Switzerland, to draft a potential multilateral nuclear arms control treaty. After the U.S.-Russia talks began, the U.S. delegation will meet with the Chinese delegation on Tuesday (24th) local time.

The Dongfeng-31BJ displayed during the September 3rd military parade on social media

Since the expiration of the treaty, the United States has been calling for a broader agreement that also includes China and Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio previously stated that due to China's significant enhancement of its nuclear capabilities in recent years, any new arms control system must include China. Trump also claimed that he rejected Putin's proposal to extend the New START Treaty by one year, and called for the U.S., Russia, and China to sign a "new, improved, and modernized treaty."

Regarding China's nuclear weapons issue, the U.S. has continued to spread rumors, trying to pressure us.

On February 9, Thomas DiNanno, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, accused China at the Geneva disarmament conference that on June 22, 2020, just a week after the Galwan Valley clash, China secretly conducted a nuclear test with an explosive yield of hundreds of tons, and "used related technologies to reduce the effectiveness of seismic monitoring to cover the test activities." DiNanno claimed that China's action violated the "nuclear test ban commitment."

In response, on February 23, Shen Jian, China's Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, delivered a speech at the high-level session of the Geneva Conference on Disarmament, expounding China's position on current international security and arms control issues.

Shen Jian emphasized that China firmly supports the purposes and objectives of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The U.S. accusation that China conducted a nuclear explosion test is baseless and is an excuse for the U.S. to restart nuclear tests. China urges the U.S. to restate the "suspension of nuclear testing" commitment of the five nuclear-armed countries, and to uphold the global consensus on the prohibition of nuclear testing.

Shen Jian said that facing the complex and severe international security situation, China adheres to the concepts of fairness, cooperation, balance, and effectiveness in arms control, and is committed to promoting international security cooperation and improving global security governance. Nuclear arms control is an important guarantee for maintaining global strategic stability. The international community should uphold the principles of fairness, reasonableness, rationality, and pragmatism in nuclear disarmament, adhere to political and diplomatic solutions to nuclear non-proliferation issues, abide by international rule of law, and revitalize multilateral arms control and disarmament mechanisms.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7610315719057654307/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.