Opinion | Trump may or may not meet Xi. But first, Chinese and US generals need to talk
- Drew Thompson says Donald Trump’s cancellation of a nuclear treaty with Russia is also aimed at China
- The US and China militaries need to forge a pact to enhance regional security
Since 2014, the State Department has been reporting that Russia was in violation of the pact by developing a prohibited cruise missile. Last year, it identified the 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile system, also known by the Nato designation SSC-8, as the offending system.
US officials across two administrations have engaged with Russia, encouraging it to scrap the system and come back into compliance with the treaty, while actively consulting allies about the consequences of the agreement falling into irrelevance.
In cancelling the agreement known as INF, Trump provided a rationale that was consistent with his national security strategy: it’s about Russia and China.
He said: “Unless Russia comes to us and China comes to us and they all come to us and say, ‘let's really get smart and let’s none of us develop those weapons’, but if Russia’s doing it and if China’s doing it, and we’re adhering to the agreement, that’s unacceptable.”
Watch: Trump to end nuclear treaty with Russia
The end of an arms control treaty with Russia is disappointing to many, but strategic stability between the US and Russia will be maintained, even if it is more fragile than before.
