Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

5 19, a United States delegation arrived in Moscow the Russian Foreign Ministry to prepare for the negotiations on strategic arms reduction treaty.

Author: Hu Yu Min

since the end of the Cold War, on the whole, the world’s major countries in the field of international political cooperation and economic interdependence in the international trend of significantly strengthened. This stable relations among major powers to ease regional tensions and promoting nuclear disarmament and has played a positive role. However, with this trend runs counter to the international nuclear arms control field of stagnation and frustration.

international community that the United States and Russia has more than 90 percent as a nuclear weapons state, responsibility for achieving complete nuclear disarmament can not shirk its primary responsibility.

after the disintegration of the bipolar pattern, reached through a series of US-Russian nuclear disarmament treaty, cut 1/2 to 2/3 deployments of strategic nuclear warheads. View of the United States and Russia, “Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty” will expire at the end of this year, the two countries have conducted negotiations on a new treaty. For the United States, with the strategic objectives and strategic strike force adjustment, especially in the conventional strategic strike capability, and strategic defense capabilities development, there is no need to maintain too large nuclear arsenal. In the United States to maintain a large inventory of nuclear weapons is a clear negative effect. Russia, published in May this year, “2020 National Security Strategy” for the first time included the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide perspective. As the U.S. anti-missile plans in Europe, Russia and the United States required to maintain the nuclear balance of power. However, to maintain the financial burden of large nuclear arsenals can not be ignored.

under pressure from many in the United States and Russia could maintain reached before the end of the transitional process of nuclear disarmament agreement, but whether a breakthrough on nuclear disarmament remains to be seen. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that Russia is a condition for nuclear disarmament: the need to prevent the deployment of weapons systems in outer space; not through the expansion of conventional weapons systems, compensation strategy to reduce nuclear weapons systems; ensure that the establishment of recoverable nuclear power; must be excluded in other countries deployed on the territory of strategic offensive weapons. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Russia will to reach a new nuclear disarmament treaty with the United States to deploy a missile defense system in Europe linked to the problem.

should be concerned about the U.S. missile defense system in development at the same time, unwilling to give up the choice of weapons in outer space. This is the advent of nuclear weapons, over half a century, the first country to seek a comprehensive offensive and defensive strategic advantage, is generally a safe way to detract from other countries around the world to seek their own strategic advantage and undermine the nuclear disarmament of the strategic environment.

the international community to achieve the grand goal of complete elimination of nuclear weapons depends adhere to two principles, namely maintaining global strategic stability, the second is to promote confidence among States, all countries seek to promote common security measures.

in maintaining global strategic stability and without prejudice to national security, based on the nuclear powers to discuss in the following areas may take appropriate measures: First, strengthen the role of United Nations disarmament machinery, maintenance of international disputes, the UN and its Security Council to do the arbitration and in accordance with the “UN Charter” to take coercive measures authority; Second, to reduce nuclear arms in the role of national security strategy, stop the development of new nuclear weapons, to promote the “Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty” entered into force; three, lifting the state of combat readiness of nuclear weapons, deployed in the withdrawal of all nuclear weapons on the territories of other countries; four negotiated prohibit deployment of weapons systems in outer space treaties; five stop development of missile defense system undermining strategic stability, not to detract from other countries to seek a safe manner the status of its own strategic advantage ; six, led to the Geneva Conference on Disarmament, “banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons convention” in the negotiations and progress; seven, with the IAEA to strengthen coordination to ensure a safe way to assist countries to develop civilian nuclear power industry.

“Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” the next review will be held in May next year. Create a favorable strategic environment to promote the nuclear disarmament process is placed in front of a real world and important issues.

(author of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association Senior Fellow)