China's Arms Control - Nuclear Strategy and Strategic Stability

Explore China's distinctive approach to nuclear arms control in this 44-minute conference talk by Professor Riqiang Wu from Tsinghua University. Examine how China has developed its own arms control tradition that differs significantly from classical U.S.-Soviet models, focusing on safeguarding national defense modernization while maintaining high levels of secrecy. Analyze China's strategic priorities of developing military capabilities over reassurance and risk reduction, and understand the challenges this approach faces as China's nuclear capabilities expand. Learn about the concept of nuclear learning and how China needs to update its core beliefs regarding arms control, shifting from viewing it as a constraint to recognizing shared interests among nuclear powers. Discover the complexities of maintaining strategic stability within asymmetric nuclear force structures between China and the United States. Gain insights into practical recommendations for fostering nuclear learning, including the need for U.S. strategic restraint, China's adoption of interagency decision-making mechanisms, and continued bilateral nuclear dialogues. Professor Wu brings a unique perspective combining political and technical expertise, drawing from his background as both a missile engineer and international relations scholar with extensive experience at leading institutions including Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.