Trump Says He Is Discussing Nuclear Arms Reductions With Russia and China

President Donald Trump said the U.S. is holding talks with China on nuclear arms reductions.

In a Newsmax interview released on October 15, Trump said he wants denuclearization "if possible" and that the U.S. is addressing the issue with Russia while also discussing it with China.

"The country with the most nuclear weapons is us, and Russia is second," Trump said. He added that China would catch up with the U.S. within five to six years.

Trump said China remains far behind the U.S. in that area, so its willingness to pursue nuclear arms cuts may be weaker than Washington's. Even so, he said the two sides are discussing the issue frequently.

Trump has argued since his first term that a nuclear arms reduction framework should include the U.S., Russia and China. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, an arms-control pact between Washington and Moscow, expired in February last year. He did not extend the existing agreement, saying a new pact that includes China was needed.

China did not back the launch of a trilateral nuclear arms reduction program involving only the U.S., Russia and China. Beijing said the framework should also include other nuclear-armed states such as the U.K. and France. CNN recently reported that China proposed mutual working-level visits to nuclear facilities earlier this year and that discussions between the two countries continued afterward.

Lee Sang-eun, Washington correspondent, Korea Economic Daily, selee@hankyung.com