Germany has urged China to take a more active role in global arms control efforts, warning that the expiry of the last remaining nuclear treaty between the United States and Russia risks fuelling a new international arms race.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Thursday during an official visit to Australia, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the end of the New START agreement earlier this month should be a cause for serious concern. The treaty, which lapsed on February 5, had capped the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons held by Washington and Moscow for more than a decade.
“Any armaments control treaty that expires must be cause for concern for us,” Johann Wadephul said. “It underlines how great the challenge is when it comes to rebuilding trust in the world as a foundation for new agreements.”
The German minister said China must be included in future arms control frameworks, arguing that Beijing’s growing military capabilities make its participation increasingly essential.
“China has to be included,” he said. “China repeatedly stresses its commitment to multilateralism. It must also demonstrate that commitment in the field of arms control by showing restraint and investing trust in international relations.”
The comments echo growing concern among security analysts and disarmament campaigners that the collapse of the US-Russia treaty framework could accelerate nuclear competition among the world’s major powers and encourage China to further expand its arsenal.
Washington has also stepped up pressure on Beijing to join future negotiations. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any meaningful arms control agreement in the 21st century would be incomplete without China’s participation.
“The president has been clear that true arms control today is impossible without China, given its vast and rapidly expanding stockpile,” Marco Rubio said.
China has significantly increased its nuclear capabilities in recent years. Analysts estimate Beijing now possesses around 550 strategic nuclear launchers, a figure that remains below the 800 previously permitted to the United States and Russia under New Start but is rising steadily.
France and Britain, both US allies and nuclear-armed states bound by separate commitments, together hold an estimated 100 strategic nuclear weapons.
China has long resisted joining formal arms reduction talks, arguing that its arsenal is far smaller than those of the United States and Russia and that it should not be subject to the same constraints. However, Western governments increasingly contend that China’s expanding capabilities mean it can no longer remain outside future agreements.
With no replacement treaty yet in sight, the end of New START has left the world without any binding limits on the two largest nuclear arsenals, raising fears of renewed competition and weakening global non-proliferation efforts.
Germany’s intervention reflects broader European concern that the erosion of arms control structures could undermine international security at a time of heightened geopolitical tension, making the inclusion of all major nuclear powers a central challenge for future diplomacy.
