UN Conference on Nuclear Treaty Extension Fails to Sway China

The United Nations conference on extending the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) has begun in New York, with representatives from 174 countries present. The United States, along with Britain, France, and Russia, is pushing for an indefinite extension of the treaty, which has been in effect for 25 years. However, the conference has been marred by disagreements, particularly between the US and China. While China has not announced its position on the treaty, a meeting between US Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen failed to persuade China to end its nuclear cooperation with Iran or improve its human rights performance.

Key Takeaways:

• The US is pushing for an indefinite extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) at the UN conference in New York.
• China has not announced its position on the treaty, but its Foreign Minister, Qian Qichen, met with US Secretary of State Warren Christopher to discuss nuclear cooperation with Iran and human rights.
• The meeting failed to persuade China to end its nuclear cooperation with Iran, with Qian stating that such activities are legal under existing international agreements.
• China has an active program of nuclear cooperation with Iran that dates back several years, including the construction of a small research reactor and providing Iran with a mini-calutron.
• The US is trying to prevent China from completing a deal with Iran for the construction of two 300-megawatt pressurized water reactors.
• The conference has also been marked by disagreements over voting procedures, with the US favoring an open vote and some countries preferring a closed ballot.
• Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen rebuffed US Secretary of State Warren Christopher's argument that Iran is determined to build nuclear weapons and that any nuclear cooperation with the country is dangerous.
• Qian also did not respond to US concerns about China's human rights performance, despite US efforts to persuade Beijing to improve its human rights record.
• The Clinton Administration's strategy of embracing rather than penalizing the Beijing Government is reportedly working, with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian agreeing to hold meetings of American and Chinese experts to discuss nuclear cooperation with Iran.

Statistics:

• The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) has been in effect for 25 years.
• 174 countries are represented at the UN conference on extending the NPT.
• The US and China have had a meeting to discuss nuclear cooperation with Iran, with no agreement on a position.
• China has had an active program of nuclear cooperation with Iran that dates back several years.
• The US is trying to prevent China from completing a deal with Iran for the construction of two 300-megawatt pressurized water reactors.
• The conference has been marked by disagreements over voting procedures, with the US favoring an open vote and some countries preferring a closed ballot.

Sources:

• The New York Times, "US Fails to Persuade China on Nuclear Accord" by Steven Greenhouse
• United Nations, "Press Release: Conference on Extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty"
• US State Department, "Press Release: US Secretary of State Warren Christopher meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen"
• Reuters, "China's Qian refuses US call to stop Iran nuclear aid" by Reuters Staff