US Abstracts

Panel 8: The United States and China: Bilateral Relations and Arms Control Cooperation

Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Context of Overall US-China Relations

Donald Gross

Under the Clinton Administration, US-China relations have improved, influencing the progress on arms control and nonproliferation. Several crises threatened to derail bilateral talks, including the Taiwan Straits crisis in 1996 and NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999. Despite these obstacles, China has shown that it is willing to engage in high-level discussions on arms control and nonproliferation. To strengthen their security dialogue, China and the United States need to focus on collaborative efforts in problem-solving and recommit themselves to the basic principles of arms control and nonproliferation. The United States and China need to develop more regularized and institutionalized channels for discussion about arms control and nonproliferation issues. These dialogues need to be immune to the inevitable ups and downs in bilateral relations.

Donald Gross is a former US Government official who served at the National Security Council, State Department, and Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA). He is currently practicing law with the firm of Kim & Chang in Seoul, Korea.

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