China, Nuclear Weapons, and Arms Control

China has been largely overlooked in the global nuclear equation -- for too long, argue the authors of this new Council report. Beginning with a comprehensive review of what is known in the open, unclassified literature about China's nuclear weapons and strategic modernization program, the authors consider the alternative trajectories ahead for China's force modernization as well as the interests and perspectives informing China's plans. Central to this analysis is an understanding of how the U.S.-Russian offense/defense relationship -- and especially the movement toward ballistic missile defenses by the United States -- influences China's modernization program. The study goes on to explore how modernization affects U.S. interests. The authors then elaborate a preliminary agenda for exploring with China the requirements of strategic stability in the emerging era and of testing Beijing's intention to continue some form of restraint in the years ahead. China, Nuclear Weapons, and Arms Control offers the kind of reasoned analysis and intellectual honesty that is essential if new challenges are to be dealt with in ways that secure U.S. interests.