Officials in charge of arms control from the United States and China held a rare nuclear dialogue on Monday (November 6th). A senior US official pointed out that "the Chinese delegation has not provided a substantive response" regarding issues such as nuclear expansion, nuclear strategic thinking, policy or budget. The US State Department statement stated that the discussion itself is constructive as it is the first such dialogue between the US and China in many years.
The nuclear dialogue held in Washington on the 6th was led by Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Mallory Stewart and Director of the Arms Control Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sun Xiaobo. This is the first time since the pre Obama administration that the United States and China have held an arms control dialogue.
The official, who declined to be named, said, "Holding this meeting is inherently constructive, but I will not call it substantive. 'Essence' means more two-way communication, and in reality, the situation is different

Ensuring that fierce competition between the world's two largest economies does not escalate into conflict, including a series of disagreements from trade to Taiwan to the South China Sea, has always been one of the top priorities for the United States.
The United States is concerned about the expansion of China's nuclear arsenal. According to Pentagon estimates, China has approximately 500 nuclear warheads and is likely to deploy over 1000 by 2030. Although still lower than the number of nuclear weapons in the United States and Russia, analysts believe that this may increase the risk of conflict.
In June, White House National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan expressed his expectations for Beijing to provide detailed information on the scale and scope of China's nuclear power, missile launch notifications, and transparency regarding the expansion of its nuclear arsenal.
The official bluntly stated that China has not provided too much candid information on these issues and has not reached an agreement to convene a second meeting. The United States believes that China may not be willing to "distinguish" arms control and strategic stability from broader differences.
He added, "I will not say that we have received any new information from China, nor have we delved into whether their nuclear weapons construction, expansion, or policy principles will change over time
After the meeting, the US State Department positively evaluated the arms control conference in a statement: "Both sides have frank and in-depth discussions on issues such as arms control and nuclear proliferation prevention, as part of efforts to maintain open communication channels between the US and China and responsibly manage bilateral relations
The statement also mentioned: "The United States emphasizes the importance of improving transparency in China's nuclear power and substantial participation in strategic risk management measures, including in multiple fields such as nuclear power and space
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier stated that China and the United States will hold departmental level arms control and non-proliferation consultations in Washington this week, and will engage in dialogue and exchange on a wide range of topics such as international arms control treaty compliance and non-proliferation. Regarding the consultation situation, China will release information in a timely manner.
After the meeting, the Chinese Embassy in the United States stated that there are currently no comments regarding the meeting.
Henrik St Å lhane Hiim, an expert on China's nuclear strategy and arms control issues, told VOA that although this is part of China's extensive efforts to improve and stabilize relations with the United States, neither the outcome of this meeting nor China's long-term arms control stance should have high expectations.
(This article is based on a report by Reuters)