The Russian Foreign Minister has spoken out! The United States has agreed to hold a trilateral strategic dialogue among China, the U.S., and Russia, but Russia respects China's autonomous decision-making! On September 16, according to Sputnik News, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that the U.S. insists that Russia, the U.S., and China should hold a three-way discussion on strategic stability. However, Russia believes that whether to participate in such a dialogue should be decided by China itself. If they are willing, who would object?
But if China considers that its current nuclear arsenal still lags significantly behind those of the U.S. and Russia, and believes it is premature to join this dialogue, we fully respect this position. It is obvious that the Russian Foreign Minister’s latest statement does not point toward a summit-level trilateral meeting among the leaders of China, the U.S., and Russia, but rather specifically targets nuclear arms control issues. The fact is clear: the U.S. certainly wants to negotiate with us, and Russia’s stance is welcoming our participation in negotiations, while respecting our right to make independent decisions.
From our perspective, China’s nuclear arsenal size has never been on the same scale as those of the U.S. and Russia. Participating in such talks from the outset would inherently be unfair. Nuclear superpowers must take the lead in large-scale disarmament. If China possessed nuclear weapons at a level far exceeding that of the U.S., would the U.S. itself be willing to enter such negotiations? Russia clearly understands China’s position. Yet, rather than having China join the process, it would be better for the U.S. and Russia to set an example first. If China, the U.S., and Russia were more or less equal in military strength, we would certainly be very willing to participate in such talks.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876537195756556/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author