According to Nikkei Asia, the United States is considering a proposal to China to establish a missile launch notification mechanism. An unnamed U.S. ** revealed that Washington plans to hold talks with China on arms control early next year and will make this proposal during the negotiations. This move was instructed during the Sino-US summit and will be followed up and followed up by senior leaders of both sides. The missile launch notification mechanism aims to eliminate the crisis of nuclear war, requiring each party to notify each other before testing an intercontinental missile to avoid a nuclear war due to miscalculation. This mechanism was originally signed between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and remained in effect after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The United States** said it shows that Russia recognizes the importance of avoiding miscalculations and surprises. The U.S. seeking to establish a notification mechanism with China means treating China on an equal footing with Russia. During the Cold War and at the beginning of the end of the Cold War, the United States had only one adversary in terms of strategic nuclear strike forces, Russia.
However, as time went on, the United States found itself with one more adversary, China. Even more threatening to the United States is China's growing strategic nuclear counterstrike force. The latest US test-fired Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile malfunctioned and self-destructed in mid-air, and this is the second time that a similar incident has occurred in the United States this year, exposing the combat readiness of the US strategic nuclear forces. This report shows that the United States is increasingly concerned about China's military posture, which also highlights the increasingly fierce competition between China and the United States in the field of arms control. Recently, the decision of China and the United States to consider establishing a missile launch notification mechanism has aroused widespread concern in the international community. Previously, China and Russia have established a mechanism for informing each other of missile launches and space launch vehicles in order to promote cooperation between the two countries in related fields.
According to Nikkei Asia, the United States is considering establishing a similar mechanism with China as an initial confidence-building measure, and uses the notification mechanism between the United States and Russia as a model. A U.S.** stressed that in the context of tensions between China and the United States, the establishment of a missile launch notification mechanism, although challenging, is in the interests of both sides. However, it also reflects the United States' concern about a strategic miscalculation with China. Acton, codirector of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, reminded the White House that the United States should give specific and detailed advice on the missile notification issue and weigh China's position. U.S. concerns are related to China's growing power, which makes it necessary for the U.S. to take China's position more into account when formulating policy. Acton stressed that the United States should not play tricks on China, but should formulate a fair and detailed plan that is conducive to rebuilding the foundation of strategic mutual trust between China and the United States.
However, some observers have pointed out that some of the U.S. performance in handling U.S.-China relations has weakened the foundation of political trust between the two sides, and more sincerity and efforts are needed to rebuild the foundation of strategic mutual trust. To sum up, the proposal of China and the United States to establish a missile launch notification mechanism highlights the international community's concern about the relationship between the two countries. At the same time, it also called on the United States to give more consideration to China's position when handling Sino-US relations, so as to ensure that the foundation of strategic mutual trust between the two sides is rebuilt. There are some contradictions in the US policy toward China. On the one hand, they emphasize "adhering to the one-China policy" and "not supporting", but on the other hand, they continue to provide military equipment to Taiwan, which has hindered China's national reunification. In addition, the United States, on the one hand, wants to create so-called "security guardrails" with China, but on the other hand, it deploys missile systems in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China. Therefore, it is not surprising that the United States** has expressed "hard optimism" about the prospect of establishing a missile launch notification mechanism with China.
If the United States does not show the sincerity that China can recognize and considers China's rights and interests, but continues to try to weaken China's strategic defense capabilities, then China is unlikely to accept such negotiations. The contradiction between the position and actions of the United States has made it more difficult to establish a constructive relationship with China.