China May Sign Pact Curbing A-Arms Spread, U.S. Official Says

China has told the United States that it is “seriously considering” signing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the U.S. State Department’s top negotiator on arms control issues said here Tuesday.

“We very much want to see China sign,” Reginald Bartholomew, undersecretary of state for international security affairs, said at a U.S. Embassy press conference.

Bartholomew noted that of the world’s five major nuclear powers, the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain are already signatories of the treaty, and France recently announced its intention to sign. For China also to sign “would be a major contribution” to the world’s efforts to control the spread of nuclear arms, he said.

Chinese officials also indicated that Beijing may agree to join an international agreement known as the Missile Technology Control Regime, which restricts sale of missiles able to deliver warheads a distance greater than 300 kilometers (186 miles), he said.

But Bartholomew, who held three days of talks with high-ranking Chinese officials including Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, expressed concern that China may be on the verge of selling short-range missiles to Syria and Pakistan. He warned that the United States would take unspecified retaliatory measures if these sales go through.

“We discussed at length the question of (possible) Chinese transfer of M-9 missiles to Syria and of M-11 missiles to Pakistan,” Bartholomew said. “I told my Chinese hosts that I can see no benefit accruing to China from such transfers--politically, economically or otherwise--that would outweigh the consequences for China and, quite frankly, for the development of a strong bilateral (Sino-U.S.) relationship.”

Both the M-9 missile, with a probable range of about 375 miles, and the M-11 missile, with a range of about 180 miles, have been under development in China and are believed close to the stage at which they could be sold.

If Pakistan were able to build nuclear bombs and load them on M-11 missiles, it would have powerful weapons usable against nearby targets in India. Syria could use the M-9 against Israel. Both missiles are believed to be more accurate than the Soviet-designed Scud missiles used by Iraq in the Persian Gulf War.

Bartholomew noted that Secretary of State James A. Baker III “only recently stated publicly that any Chinese transfers of these systems would have the most profound consequences for our bilateral relations.”

A conference planned for next month in Paris to discuss limits on arms transfers to the Middle East was another key topic of his talks, Bartholomew said.

“We are pleased that China will be participating in this conference, and we welcome this opportunity to talk beforehand about the work to be done there, to try to see if we could coordinate common views, common objectives, for that conference.”

Bartholomew said that in addition to meeting with Foreign Minister Qian, he held 11 hours of talks with Vice Foreign Minister Liu Huaqiu and had a one-hour, 40-minute meeting with Gen. Liu Huaqing, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

“On these non-proliferation questions, there was some movement, but a lot of work remains,” he said. “We had a serious dialogue on very serious matters, and it’s a dialogue that will have to continue.”