The United States and China resumed semi-official talks on nuclear weapons in March for the first time in five years, with Beijing officials telling their US counterparts that they would not resort to nuclear threats over Taiwan, US delegates said, quoted by "Reuters".
Chinese officials offered reassurances after their US counterparts raised concerns that China could use or threaten to use nuclear weapons if it suffers a conventional military defeat in Taiwan , threatening the rule of the Chinese Communist Party.
"They have told the American side that they are absolutely convinced that they are able to prevail in a conventional battle against Taiwan without using nuclear weapons," said scientist David Santoro, the American organizer of the Track Two negotiations, the details of which are being reported by Reuters for the first time.
Washington was represented by a handful of delegates, including former officials and academics at the two-day discussions, which took place in a Shanghai hotel conference room.
Beijing sent a delegation of scientists and analysts which included several former officers of the People's Liberation Army.
A State Department spokesman said in response to questions from Reuters that the Track Two talks could be "helpful. The department was not involved in the March meeting, although it was aware of the discussions , the spokesman said.
Such discussions cannot replace formal talks, "which require participants to speak authoritatively on issues that are often deeply divided in (Chinese) government circles," the spokesman said.
The informal discussions between the nuclear powers take place against a backdrop of strained US-China relations over key economic and geopolitical issues, with leaders in Washington and Beijing accusing each other of bad faith.
The two sides briefly resumed talks on "Track One" on nuclear weapons in November but those talks have stalled since then, with a senior US official publicly expressing frustration with China's responsiveness.
The Pentagon, which has estimated that Beijing's nuclear arsenal has increased by more than 20% between 2021 and 2023, said in October that China would also consider using nuclear weapons , if it suffers a conventional military defeat in Taiwan it threatens the rule of the Chinese Communist Party.
China has never shied away from using force to bring Taiwan under its control and has stepped up military activity around the island over the past four years.