Old Wine in New Bottles – China and the Disarmament Debate

Chinese analysts and officials frequently state that much of the difficulty in achieving the aims of arms control and disarmament stems from Cold War thinking on the part of the West. At the same time, there remain Cold War era vestiges in China`s own thinking. When levied against the United States and Russia, the charge of ˝Cold War thinking˝ equates with an inability to relinquish balance-of-power politics, whether through arms racing or extended deterrence. In the case of China, this term is temporal in nature, as China has continued its call for disarmament throughout the Cold War into the present day. Yet, the question remains as to whether or not these long-held Chinese principles of disarmament are compatible with the current U.S. push for nuclear zero. Understanding the logic that underpins these principles is essential to engaging China more effectively on disarmament. China`s perpetuation of ˝old wine in new bottles˝ becomes abundantly clear when surveying the writings of Chinese analysts on the subject of disarmament and arms control. References to Mao Zedong`s support for global disarmament and his famous counsel that in order to eradicate nuclear weapons, a country must first possess them continue to punctuate this literature. In fact, many of China`s basic arms control and disarmament principles have been retained for more than four decades. Chinese experts at conferences continue to cite a decades old position on disarmament as the contemporary cornerstone of China`s nuclear stance. When it comes to disarmament, China has not greatly altered its public position since the end of the Cold War. Rather than lament this ossified stance, Chinese analysts rightly argue that this persistence of principles reflects China`s consistent support for disarmament. Yet, while some of these principles are in line with those put forward by George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, William Perry and Sam Nunn, there remains a vast gulf between support for the principles and implementation of the steps necessary to achieve nuclear disarmament. And despite unwavering commitment to the principle of disarmament, there remains a conflicted stance towards the current push towards global zero. This presentation seeks to provide a better understanding of the nuances of these concerns to provide a more realistic platform for engaging China on nuclear disarmament.