China 'happy to' join arms control talks with US and Russia if US cuts its nuclear arsenal down to China's level

Get the Full StoryChina has declined to join talks between the US and Russia to extend the New START nuclear-arms control treaty.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry official said Beijing would "be happy to" join those talks if the US, which has about 20 times as many nuclear weapons as China, cuts its arsenal down to Beijing's level.

"But actually, we know that's not going to happen," the official said, adding that the US request was just a ploy to justify it exiting the treaty.

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BEIJING Reuters - China would "be happy to" participate in trilateral arms control negotiations with the United States and Russia, but only if the United States were willing to reduce its nuclear arsenal to China's level, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Wednesday.

Washington has repeatedly called for China to join in trilateral negotiations to extend New START, a flagship nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia that is due to expire in February next year.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: What would happen if we actually detonated a nuclear bomb inside of a hurricaneSee Also:Indian troops who died in brutal fighting in the Himalayas were unarmed, outnumbered by Chinese, families sayThe message in Russia's new nuclear weapons strategy: Don't mess with us, but let's talkChina's rise as a global power is entering its riskiest phase yetSEE ALSO: China's rise as a global power is entering its riskiest phase yet

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