| November 17, 2009 |  |
U.S. and China Agree to Pursue Nuclear Weapons Treaties
Countries Discuss Outer Space Cooperation
BEIJING (November 17, 2009) — China and the United States today released a joint statement at the conclusion of formal talks between President Obama and President Hu Jintao that included agreements on nuclear weapons issues and cooperation in space.
In the statement, the United States and China "reaffirmed their commitment made on 27 June 1998 not to target at each other the strategic nuclear weapons under their respective control." This reverses a decision by the Bush administration, which was first announced in the 2002 Nuclear Posture Review, to target China with U.S. nuclear weapons.
Gregory Kulacki, a senior analyst and
In the joint statement, both countries committed to work together to achieve two important items on President Obama’s agenda that would reduce the risks posed by nuclear weapons. The two countries agreed to “pursue ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as soon as possible” as well as “support the launching of negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) at an early date in the Conference on Disarmament.” Neither country has ratified the CTBT, and some
China’s position at the Conference on Disarmament has been that FMCT negotiations should be accompanied by a dialog on the peaceful uses of outer space. China has been reluctant to consider formally ending its production of nuclear weapons fissile materials without an agreement limiting space weapons, including space-based missile interceptors. For nearly a decade, the United States has refused to support such discussions on space. However, the joint statement issued by President Obama and President Hu proclaims that both sides agree “the two countries have common interests in promoting the peaceful use of outer space and agree to take steps to enhance security in outer space.”
In addition, the joint statement commits the United States and China to “expanding discussions on space science cooperation and starting a dialogue on human space flight and space exploration.” According to the statement, the two countries will arrange “reciprocal visits of the NASA administrator and the appropriate Chinese counterpart in 2010.”
Cooperation between the United States and China on peaceful, scientific uses of outer space would help reduce the tension resulting from China’s 2007 anti-satellite test as well as the U.S. test that destroyed a failing U.S. intelligence satellite the following year, said Kulacki.
The joint statement also committed both countries to supporting President Obama's long-term effort to achieve “the eventual realization of a world free of nuclear weapons,” a goal the president cited in his speech in Prague earlier this year.
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