WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the Biden Administration’s meeting with China on arms control this week:
“Yesterday’s U.S.-China arms control meeting at the State Department was just more of the same. The Biden Administration seeks to return to the Obama-era pattern of holding dozens of meetings on nuclear issues but with absolutely nothing to show for them. China’s nuclear sprint to parity and massive missile buildup make that clear.
“Engagement with the Chinese is not an end in itself. Treating it as such allows Beijing to use engagement as cover to build advantage. Rather than repeating tired talking points about risk reduction and the need to avoid misperception and miscalculation, the Biden Administration should insist that these engagements produce concrete deliverables and include the participation of serious senior officials on the Chinese side.”
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