The Trump administration is reportedly considering reciprocal visits to Chinese nuclear facilities, seeking risk-reduction measures as concerns grow over China’s arsenal and emerging military technologies.
Washington and Beijing have held preliminary, working-level discussions about mutual visits to nuclear sites, CNN reported on Tuesday.
The conversations have largely taken place alongside meetings involving the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Informal discussions are likely to continue during in-person meetings in the coming months.
China initially proposed reciprocal visits during meetings with U.S. officials this year, signaling possible openness to confidence-building measures that could support a broader agreement, according to the report.
Officials have discussed visits to Department of Energy national laboratories and comparable Chinese facilities. Washington is also open to considering access to nuclear testing sites.
Trilateral Nuclear Talks Show Slow Progress
The informal, preliminary discussions come as U.S. concerns grow over China’s expanding nuclear program and following the expiration of the last U.S.-Russia arms control treaty. Despite efforts dating back to Trump’s first term, no formal trilateral talks or substantive progress with China and Russia have emerged.
Paul Dean, a former acting assistant secretary of state, told CNN that the reciprocal visits are “an extremely valuable confidence-building measure” while cautioning that negotiations require Washington to proceed with its “eyes wide open.”
The White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
China’s Nuclear Arsenal Expands Rapidly
The proposal comes amid a rapid expansion of China’s nuclear capabilities. A 2025 report citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated that China had at least 600 warheads, with roughly 100 added annually since 2023.
The report also estimated that China’s current nuclear buildup could bring its arsenal to around 1,500 warheads by 2035, approaching the deployed warhead levels of the U.S. and Russia. According to the 2026 Nuclear Notebook, the U.S. has about 5,042 nuclear warheads.
The discussions also follow a February allegation from the Trump administration that China conducted a secret underground nuclear explosion near its Lop Nur testing site in June, 2020. State Department official Christopher Yeaw said China likely used “decoupling” techniques to reduce the blast’s effects and conceal the test’s unknown yield.
Furthermore, the U.S. and Chinese security specialists recently warned that AI could threaten nuclear command networks or trigger military cyber operations. Experts urged continued human control over nuclear decisions and advocated an emergency hotline between Washington and Beijing.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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