Are China's missiles a factor behind Trump's INF Treaty pullout plan?

The Week, India ^ | October 23, 2018

[sukhoi-30mki]

Amid continuing criticism of his plan to quit a major arms control treaty with Russia, US President Donald Trump on Monday referred to China as being a factor in his strategic calculations.

Trump announced last week the US would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which was signed in 1987, on the grounds that Russia had violated the agreement with the development of new missiles.

The INF treaty bars the US and Russia from developing ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges varying from 500km to 5,500km; the treaty covered both non-nuclear and nuclear warheads. On Monday, Trump said the US would increase its nuclear arsenal until other nations “came to their senses”.

"Until people come to their senses—we have more money than anybody else by far; we'll build it up until they come to their senses,” Trump told reporters at the White House. Claiming Russia had not adhered to the spirit of the INF treaty, Trump also targeted China, which is not a signatory to the agreement.

Referring to the US' ability to develop more advanced weapons as being a “threat”, Trump noted, “It's a threat to whoever you want, and it includes China, and it includes Russia and it includes anybody else that wants to play that game. You can't do that. You can't play that game on me.”

Experts have previously referred to China being a hidden factor in Trump's reservations about the INF treaty.

Since its wide-ranging military modernisation began in the early 1980s, China has built a vast arsenal of cruise and ballistic missiles. An annual assessment of China's military capabilities to the US Congress in 2018 noted that Beijing currently has around 1,200 short-range ballistic missiles (with range less than 1,000km) and nearly 300 medium-range ballistic missiles (with range between 1,000km to

[mikefive]

I thought the INF was between the US and the USSR. Since the USSR went the way of the dodo bird, shouldn’t the treaty pretty much be null and void?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

1. After the break up of the Soviet Union, the U.S. announced that it would recognize Russia as the successor state, and respect existing treaties.

2. Russia has flagrantly cheated.

3. Russia remains a threat to its many smaller neighbors, especially former parts of the Soviet and Russian Empires.

4. China was not a major military power outside of ground troops in its own neighborhood at the time of the signing of the INF. China has taken advantage of the INF to leapfrog the U.S. technologically in the important class of weapons covered by the treaty. If these weapons were not important they would not be the subject of a treaty.

[McGruff]

...China has built a vast arsenal of cruise and ballistic missiles...

While everybody is focused on Russia, China laughs.

[G Larry]

Russia has always violated this treaty, while the U.S. complied.

It is right to abandon our unilateral disarmament.

It is especially important that the U.S. not allow ourselves to be at a disadvantage to China, who's never been constrained in this Intermediate Range of Weapons.

The U.S. has always allowed Russia/USSR to dictate their advantage in weaponry. Dropping neutron weapons was a huge mistake. Caving to Soviet propaganda.

It would have allowed us to stop Soviet movement toward Western Europe without risking the irradiation of our allies.