China has postponed nuclear nonproliferation and weapons control talks with the United States in protest of Washington’s military sales to Taiwan, which is self-ruled.
The US branded Beijing’s decision on Wednesday “unfortunate,” while analysts suggested it might be a major setback to global arms control efforts.
Beijing stated that the US’s arms shipments to Taiwan have ‘compromised the political atmosphere’ for further nuclear nonproliferation discussions.
In November, China and the United States initiated nuclear weapons conversations in an effort to reduce tensions ahead of a summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden.
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said the US’s arms sales to Taiwan, a territory that it claims, had “seriously compromised the political atmosphere for continuing the arms-control consultations.
“Consequently, the Chinese side has decided to hold off discussion with the US on a new round of consultations on arms control and non-proliferation,” Lin Jian, the spokesperson, told a regular news briefing in Beijing.
“The responsibility fully lies with the US,” he said.
Lin also stated that China was eager to maintain communication on international arms control, but that the US “must respect China’s core interests and create the necessary conditions for dialogue and exchange”.
The United States moved diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but it has remained Taiwan’s most important partner and largest armaments supplier, prompting repeated censure from China.
Taiwan has been protesting for four years about increased Chinese military action near the island, including practically daily operations by Chinese bombers and warships.
In June, Washington approved two military sales to Taiwan totaling nearly $300 million, the majority of which were spare and replacement components for the island’s F-16 fighter jets.
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