The United States and China held informal talks on nuclear weapons. This happened for the first time in five years.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to Reuters.
The dialogue took place at an informal level - the United States and China were represented by former officials, scientists, and analysts.
A representative of the US State Department told Reuters that such talks can be useful, but they cannot replace the dialogue at the official level.
During the meeting, representatives of the US delegation expressed fears that China could resort to nuclear threats if it fails to take control of Taiwan.
"They (representatives of the Chinese delegation - ed.) told the American side that they are absolutely confident that they can win a conventional struggle for Taiwan without using nuclear weapons," American scientist David Santoro, who organized the talks, told Reuters.
The talks came after the Pentagon admitted last year that China would consider the use of nuclear weapons in case of defeat in a possible military conflict with Taiwan.
According to the US Department of Defense, China's nuclear arsenal increased by more than 20% between 2021 and 2023.
Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 22/06/2024