How US Missile Defense Plans Affect China's Nuclear Arms Control Policies: A Chinese Perspective

On September 1, 2000, the Clinton Administration opted to defer any decision on whether to deploy a national missile defense (NMD) intended to protect the United States from attacks by nucleartipped missiles. The new Bush administration, which assembled a pro-missile defense national security team, however, is likely to deploy missile defenses, even larger than Clinton’s version. Before taking irrevocable steps down this path, the United States should stop and consider that deploying missile defenses could have grave consequences for US-China relations, and the future of nuclear arms control.

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