While the Trump administration’s nuclear and space policy remains uncertain, drastic readjustments may destabilize China-U.S. relations if China interprets it as a way to contain its rise.

Chinese nuclear experts think about nuclear weapons very differently from their U.S. counterparts. They use different terminology and contrasting security paradigms to discuss and make decisions on nuclear policy. How can Washington and Beijing promote an effective dialogue and shared understanding despite their disparate approaches?

Talks between China and the United States on the countries’ respective nuclear weapons programs are going nowhere, with each side expressing frustration. The United States must find a way to promote more effective dialogue.

Gregory Kulacki and Jeffrey Lewis argued in a joint presentation that the common arguments about China’s anti-satellite test—that the test was a shot across the bow of American space superiority or an attempt to force the U.S. into negotiations to restrict the development of space weaponry—are based on limited information and unreliable sources.