China and the Nuclear Summit
Dean Cheng /
While Chinese President Hu Jintao’s decision to attend the Nuclear Security Summit is being hailed as a sign of improving Sino-US relations, President Hu’s speech at the summit suggests that rough times still lie ahead. In his speech at the summit, President Hu apparently focused on the importance of honoring national commitments towards nuclear security, strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, helping developing countries improve nuclear security, consolidating existing international legal measures, and demarcating the relationship between nuclear security and nuclear energy. None of these measures, in and of themselves, are objectionable, just as the goal of the summit, to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorist organizations, is laudable.
The question is: Where’s the beef?
When it comes to actually compelling Iran, a supporter of terrorist organizations, to abide by its obligations under the NPT, China has shown little stomach for the necessary measures. Similarly, one suspects that the Chinese will also fail to enforce sanctions against anyone else who fails to honor national commitments.