Washington and Beijing are conducting private deliberations about the growth of China's nuclear arsenal and suspected breaches of international treaty limits. The Trump administration has used these talks to press China for greater transparency and more advance notice of ballistic missile tests, according to US officials who spoke with the Wall Street Journal. These discussions took place on the sidelines of multilateral meetings in Geneva, New York, and Casablanca, focusing on the reduction of nuclear risks rather than establishing formal arms control limits, with further meetings planned for next month.

Beijing denies violating the 1996 nuclear test ban treaty or the broader 30 year moratorium. However, the US provided seismic data earlier this year suggesting a secret low yield nuclear explosion occurred near Lop Nur in 2020, though international monitors say available data cannot confirm the cause. The dialogues mark a reversal of a long period of minimal communication between the two powers regarding their nuclear capabilities.