Abstract

As China continues building up its nuclear weapons capabilities and resists U.S. proposals on arms control talks, the United States is also moving down a path of strengthening its own nuclear capabilities. This intensifying U.S.-China nuclear competition has wide-ranging security implications for the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia. This presentation will analyze drivers behind China’s changing nuclear policy, possible U.S. responses to China’s nuclear expansion under a second Trump administration, regional security implications of growing U.S. and Chinese interest in developing theater-range nuclear capabilities, and potential risk mitigation measures that countries in Southeast Asia could consider promoting.

About the Speaker

Tong Zhao is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, working for both the Nuclear Policy Program and Carnegie China. He is also a nonresident researcher at the Science and Global Security Program of Princeton University, and a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials. He conducts research on strategic security issues, such as nuclear weapons policy, arms control, and China’s security and foreign policy. He holds a PhD in science, technology, and international affairs from Georgia Institute of Technology. He has published in Arms Control Today, Asian Security, and The Atlantic, among others.