by Reuters News Staff at NBC News
China has halted nascent nuclear-arms-control talks with the United States, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, in a protest of Washington’s arms sales to the democratically governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
The Chinese decision deals a potentially serious setback to global arms-control efforts, with Beijing joining Moscow in refusing to discuss with Washington measures to curb a nuclear-arms race, analysts said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said repeated U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in recent months had “seriously compromised the political atmosphere for continuing the arms-control consultations.”
“Consequently, the Chinese side has decided to hold off discussion with the U.S. on a new round of consultations on arms control and non-proliferation. The responsibility fully lies with the U.S.,” Lin told a regular news briefing in Beijing.
Lin said China was willing to maintain communication on international arms control, but that the U.S. “must respect China’s core interests and create necessary conditions for dialogue and exchange.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said…
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