China has placed the blame for the suspension of arms control talks with the United States squarely on Washington, citing continued US weapons sales to Taiwan.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that China has halted arms control discussions with the US in response to Washington’s ongoing arms transfers to Taiwan.
A long-awaited round of nuclear non-proliferation talks between the US and China took place in November, marking the first such meeting since 2018. While the talks did not yield any concrete outcomes, they were perceived as a crucial step towards easing tensions between the two superpowers, particularly after Beijing severed most military communication with Washington a year prior in response to then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
During a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian announced China’s decision to discontinue consultations with the US.
“The responsibility fully lies with the US,” Lin explained. “Over the past weeks and months, despite China’s firm opposition and repeated protest, the US has continued to sell arms to Taiwan and done things that severely undermine China’s core interests and the mutual trust between China and the US.”
“This has seriously compromised the political atmosphere for continuing the arms control consultations,” he said.
According to figures from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the US State Department has authorized over a billion dollars worth of weapons sales to Taiwan since the previous round of US-China arms control talks. Most recently, the department approved the sale of hundreds of Altius-600M and Switchblade kamikaze drones to Taipei, prompting Beijing to impose on US arms giant Lockheed Martin.
China considers Taiwan an integral part of its territory, a stance known as the ‘One China’ principle. While the US acknowledges this policy, it does not endorse it. Beijing views American arms sales to Taipei, expressions of support for Taiwanese independence, and pledges of military assistance to Taiwan as violations of the ‘One China’ principle.
China maintains its commitment to peacefully reunifying Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, while reserving the right to employ military force if deemed necessary.
Lin did not rule out the possibility of resuming nuclear negotiations in the future. “China stands ready to maintain communication with the US on international arms control… but the US must respect China’s core interests and create necessary conditions for dialogue and exchange,” he said at Wednesday’s briefing.