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Should the United States Agree to China's Nuclear Expansion in Exchange for National Missile Defense?

POLICY FORUM
Wednesday, November 7, 2001
11:00 a.m.

Featuring Rear Adm. Eric McVadon, United States Navy (ret.); Derek Mitchell, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Robert M. Soofer, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; and Alan Romberg, Henry L. Stimson Center.

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Recently, President Bush stated, "The case is more strong today than it was on September 10 that the ABM [Treaty] is outmoded, outdated, [and] reflects a different time." Before the terrorist attacks, unnamed senior U.S. officials were quoted in the media as saying that the United States would not object to China's buildup of nuclear missiles if China would end its opposition to a U.S. national missile defense (NMD). After a firestorm of criticism, the administration publicly backed away from that position.

This forum will examine such questions as, how far will the United States go to win Chinese acceptance of NMD? Should the U.S. allow or encourage Chinese nuclear expansion in order to overcome China's objections to NMD? Is such an expansion inevitable? Or is it being driven by the prospect of NMD? How extensive is China's buildup of nuclear weapons likely to be?

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