Washington: The United States is considering a proposal to exchange missile launch notifications with China with a view toward preventing any miscalculation amid tensions between the two powers, the Nikkei Asia newspaper reported on Monday citing a US State Department official.
A new launch notifications framework would be a first concrete step building upon the November summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who agreed to resolve a host of issues, including arms control and nonproliferation, according to the report.
The Biden administration is already considering the framework proposal and expects to hold a first round of talks on arms control with China early next year, the report said.
“The reason launch notification is so important is because we would have a reciprocal obligation to clarify what we’re doing,” the report quoted the official as saying. “The fact that China has it with Russia demonstrates they appreciated the significance of the stabilizing nature. That’s what we are trying to build on.”
The Ballistic Missile Launch Notification Agreement signed by the Soviet Union and the United States in 1988 will serve as a model for a possible framework with China, the official said.
The official also believes that such a framework is a necessary condition to create a trusting relationship between Washington and Beijing.
UNI/SPUTNIK
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