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China on Thursday expressed “regret” over the expiration of the New START nuclear arms control treaty and called on the United States to “actively” engage with Russia to preserve global strategic stability, according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) was signed on April 8, 2010, in Prague by the U.S. and Russia and entered into force on Feb. 5, 2011.
It replaced the 1991 START I treaty, which expired in December 2009, and superseded the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty that terminated when New START became effective, according to the U.S.-based Arms Control Association.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the treaty played a crucial role in maintaining the international nuclear disarmament framework and warned its lapse could negatively affect the global nuclear order.
“China finds the expiration of the New START treaty between the US and Russia regrettable,” Lin told reporters in Beijing, adding that the agreement was “of great significance to uphold global strategic stability.”
Lin said China remains “extremely prudent and responsible,” adheres to a defensive nuclear strategy, maintains a no-first-use policy, and has an unconditional pledge not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.
Separately, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato said Japan, the only country to have been attacked with nuclear weapons, “intends to realize a pragmatic and realistic approach to eliminate all the nuclear weapons,” adding, “We have a determination to lead an international initiatives to make it happen.”
The remarks came as Russia proposed that Moscow and Washington continue to observe the treaty’s central limits even after its expiration.
China urged Washington to respond positively to the proposal and resume dialogue with Russia on strategic stability.
New START, which expired early Thursday, was the last remaining legally binding agreement limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces. The expiration has raised fears of a new era of unregulated nuclear competition.
Axios reported that the U.S. and Russia were closing in on a plan to continue observing the expiring New START treaty beyond its expiration on Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the talks.
Two sources cautioned that the draft plan still needed approval from both presidents. Another source confirmed negotiations had been taking place over the past 24 hours in Abu Dhabi, but not that an agreement had been reached.
Axios reported that President Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner negotiated on New START with Russian officials on the sidelines of Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi.
Axios cited a U.S. official saying the treaty would still formally expire and that the extension would not be legally formalized.
“We agreed with Russia to operate in good faith and to start a discussion about ways it could be updated,” the US official said.
Another source cited by Axios said the practical implications were that both sides would agree to observe the deal’s terms for at least six months, during which negotiations on a potential new deal would take place.
Axios also reported that the US European Command announced the resumption of military-to-military dialogue with Russia on Thursday, saying it had been suspended in 2021 in the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that the decision emerged from the talks Kushner and Witkoff held with Russian officials.
Axios said New START caps the number of nuclear warheads the U.S. and Russia can deploy on submarines, missiles, and bombers and includes transparency mechanisms.
It also reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously suggested a short-term extension, while Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that “our ideas have been deliberately left unanswered.”
Axios reported the Kremlin had yet to comment on the Abu Dhabi negotiations and the White House declined to comment.
It also reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Wednesday that arms control in the 21st century would need to include China and that Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, though arms control was not mentioned in Trump’s readout.
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