Russia angles for bilateral arms talks with US, without China
Russian media has been emphasizing that China will not take part in any trilateral arms control talks later this month with the US and Russia. The recent news came after surprising comments from Washington that said China had been invited. But Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov put cold water on the concept this week.
“We don’t see any Chinese readiness to do so and we don’t anticipate that this approach would change anytime soon,” Moscow said, according to TASS media and a videoconference at the US Council on Foreign Relations.
Moscow says it won’t pressure China to attend. Russia seems to see any Chinese involvement as complicating the bilateral talks about arms control and dialogue set to take place in Vienna later this month. The discussions are unprecedented since they may take place during the COVID-19 crisis.
There seems to be concern in Beijing that the US was dragging China’s name into the discussions when it had not signaled willingness to participate. This leads to many questions about what is going on behind the scenes and what Washington hopes to achieve through the talks.
The current US administration has generally walked away from treaties and international groups and not taken part in trilateral or other discussions. It has also been tough on Beijing, and it is unclear how the Trump administration hopes to achieve much during protests at home – and right before a new election.
Meanwhile, Russia seems nonplussed at recent NATO exercises called BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) in the
Baltic sea with 19 countries and 3,000 personnel participating. The “massive” drill is certainly aimed at showing Russia the maritime power of NATO. Russia has been highlighting its SU-34 warplanes and Pantsir air defense system. Baltic fleet drills by Moscow included use of the Pantsir. That system has largely failed in Syria and Libya in recent months against Turkish drones; Moscow wants to show it still works.
It now appears the US will be trying to include China in arms control discussions as a way to bring Beijing to the table as China’s army and military technology expands. Washington has expressed new concerns about China’s weapons programs and its ability to defeat the US in the Pacific. Toward that end, America has sent carrier groups and bombers and other equipment to the Pacific, even recently testing a solid state laser weapon.
The US national defense policy sees China and Russia as its main competitors today, and the war on terror as secondary.