BEIJING: China has decided to suspend talks with the United States on holding a new round of consultations over arms control and non-proliferation, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
The responsibility for the suspension lies squarely on the U.S. side, said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the ministry.
Lin said China took the move because the political atmosphere in which the two sides continue to engage in arms control consultations has been undermined by the U.S. side.
For some time, the U.S. has ignored China’s resolute opposition and repeated representations, continued to engage in arms sales to China’s Taiwan region, and taken a series of negative measures that undermine China’s core interests and hurt the mutual trust between the two sides, he explained.
China is willing to maintain communication with the U.S. on international arms control on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, said Lin.
But the U.S. must respect China’s core interests and create the necessary conditions for dialogue and exchange between the two sides, he added.
China and the U.S. held consultations on arms control and non-proliferation in Washington, D.C., in November 2023.
