US urges China nuclear talks amid concerns over its rising capabilities alongside Russia threat

Push follows Biden administration’s release of Nuclear Posture Review reflecting its desire for ‘integrated deterrence’ approach

Pentagon believes China ‘ambitious’ in expanding nuclear forces and is on pace to have at least 1,000 warheads by 2030

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Chinese Type 094A strategic nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines like the one pictured here are part of the People’s Liberation Army’s enhanced military capabilities. Image: Weibo

Published: 8:30am, 2 Nov 2022

Amid growing unease over China’s rising nuclear capabilities and a lack of bilateral dialogue, Washington is calling for talks with Beijing, concerned that for the first time in history the US will soon face two “major nuclear powers”.

Unsure where China is going with its nuclear arsenal, the US would “really like to have a conversation with them about each other’s doctrines about crisis communication, crisis management”, said Alexandra Bell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for arms control, verification, and compliance, speaking at an Atlantic Council event in Washington on Tuesday.

“We’ve been working this issue with the Russians for 60 years. And as everyone can see, it’s still quite difficult,” Bell said. “We’re not in that space with Beijing yet.”

The push follows the release last week of the unclassified Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), a congressionally mandated document that establishes American nuclear strategy and capabilities and how these fit into the rest of the US government’s foreign policy and military planning for the next five to 10 years.

The NPR is generally conducted at the beginning of a presidential administration’s term in office and outlines its views. In a first, the latest NPR comes under the National Defence Strategy, reflecting the Biden administration’s desire to adopt an “integrated deterrence” approach that seeks to leverage nuclear and non-nuclear capabilities.