Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Says U.S. Distorts Chinese Position on Trilateral Arms Talks

July 11, 2020 (EIRNS)—In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian reiterated China’s rejection of the U.S. demand that it participate in arms control talks with the U.S. and Russia. “It is China’s clear position that we oppose so-called trilateral arms control negotiations, and the U.S. knows it only too well. Still, it pesters China and even distorts our position, which precisely demonstrates that the ‘trilateral arms control negotiations’ are political tricks rather than sincere, serious proposals,” he said in response to a question from Agence France-Presse. “We urge the U.S. to respond as early as possible to Russia’s call of extending the New START Treaty, and further drastically reduce its nuclear arms stockpile, which will create conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join in multilateral nuclear disarmament talks.”

Zhao was responding to a July 9 statement from the U.S. State Department, likely instigated by Marshall Billingslea, the U.S. envoy for the arms control talks, that falsely claimed that China has now committed itself to engage in arms control talks with Russia and China.