Washington and Beijing held the first negotiations at the level of non-governmental delegations in five years, the impetus being the situation around Taiwan.
Points of attention
- Chinese representatives have said that they will not resort to threats to use nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.
- Experts emphasize that Russia's decision to use nuclear weapons may depend on the behavior of the West in the context of the situation with Ukraine.
- Russia's nuclear threats provoke contrasting reactions in the West, from light-hearted dismissal to serious consideration of potential scenarios.
Informal negotiations on nuclear weapons have resumed between the US and China
Reuters reports that, for the first time in five years, the United States and China have resumed semi-official negotiations on nuclear weapons, referring to members of the American delegation. Two-day consultations were held in March in the conference hall of one of the hotels in Shanghai.
According to two American delegates, representatives of Beijing said that they would not resort to threats to use nuclear weapons because of the situation around Taiwan.
The Chinese gave the assurance after their American counterparts expressed concern that Beijing could use or threaten to use nuclear weapons if it is defeated in the conflict over Taiwan. After all, as you know, Beijing considers the island to be its territory.
They said they are absolutely confident that they can win the fight for Taiwan without using nuclear weapons, said David Santoro, one of the organizers of the talks, a scientist and head of the Pacific Forum think tank.
Track Two negotiators are, as a rule, former officials and scientists who can speak about their government's position, even if they were not directly involved in defining it.
Government negotiations are known as "Track One". The two countries briefly resumed phase one nuclear weapons talks in November, but they have been deadlocked since then.
The informal discussions between the nuclear-weapon states came as the US and China clashed over major economic and geopolitical issues, with leaders in Washington and Beijing accusing each other of political and financial dishonesty.
The publication says that Washington was represented by about half a dozen delegates, including academics and former officials.
A delegation of scientists and analysts from Beijing, including several former officers of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China, also attended.
The Telegraph predicted the use of nuclear weapons by the Russian Federation
Russia will use nuclear weapons regardless of whether the West arms Ukraine. International relations expert Samuel Ramani writes about this in his column for The Telegraph.
He recalled that during the past few weeks, Western countries have given permission for Ukraine to use NATO-class weapons to strike targets on the territory of Russia.
At the same time, the West's "escalation" will not determine whether Putin, the ruler of the Russian Federation, will press the red button.
The instigation of the nuclear threat by Russia caused two opposite reactions in the West. The first is that Russia's nuclear threats should be easily dismissed. This argument is based on the claim that Russia knows that the use of nuclear weapons would lead to a large-scale conventional NATO attack on its forces in Ukraine or a nuclear strike in retaliation. On the other hand, Russia may be tempted to use nuclear weapons if NATO escalates too much, the author notes.
In his view, both arguments are flawed: there are realistic scenarios in which Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine or, less likely, against a NATO country. At the same time, Russia's decision will depend on the behaviour of the West.
