On June 10, the Global Times (Chinese version) reported that the US and Russia would be holding a new round of Russian-US military control and strategic stability consultations in Vienna on June 22. It said the US President’s Special Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingsley had also 'invited' China while saying "I do not know whether China would participate with sincerity", but that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying had clarified at the press conference on June 9, that China did not intend to participate in the so-called "in US-Russian arms control trilateral negotiations", adding that 'the United States has been breaking contracts and leaving groups, and hearing officials from such a country talk about "sincere negotiations" has given people a very ridiculous and unreal feeling'. It quoted a former US Assistant Secretary of State Frank Ross to say that the United States and Russia should extend the treaty expiring in February 2021 with a "new strategic arms reduction Treaty". He also said that in addition to strategic weapons itself, the United States also wants to discuss four issues with Russia. These are (i) the new species of non-strategic weapons, such as the ability to destroy the Russian-US strategic stability framework of Russia's "Poseidon" new nuclear unmanned underwater vehicles; (ii) the issue of space security; (iii) the network security issues; and (iv) questions concerning China and other new the participants. It said while the United States has not yet decided whether to extend the treaty, Russia has repeatedly expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue on the extension of the treaty issue with Ryabkov expressing the hope that Russia and the US resuming dialogue on strategic stability will help move the process forward. However, Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio station reported on June 9, the main Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) International Affairs Committee said: "At present, Russian-US relations are in a dismal state, the United States has been destroyed in the field of international arms control agreement. Therefore, the talks for the world is a very important event, but whether the Americans will bring any suggestions for the Vienna talks remains to be seen. The Global Times also expressed doubts as to whether "America is prepared to extend the treaty".
|
