China says it will not join nuclear talks 'at this stage'BEIJING, Feb 5, 2026 (AFP) - China said on Thursday it would not join nuclear talks "at this stage" after the expiry of the US-Russian New START treaty triggered fears of a global arms race. The United States has said any new nuclear agreement would have to include China, but international efforts to encourage Beijing to join fresh talks have so far failed. "China's nuclear capabilities are of a totally different scale as those of the United States and Russia (and) will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage," he said. Russia and the United States together control more than 80 percent of the world's nuclear warheads but arms agreements have been withering away. China's nuclear arsenal is growing quickly, with an estimated 550 strategic nuclear launchers, which is still well below the 800 each at which Russia and the United States were capped under New START.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha February 05, 2026 15:03 UTC