By Zhai Dequan

At the Moscow summit between US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday, the two countries agreed to cut their nuclear warhead arsenals to as few as 1,500 to 1,675 each, aiming toward the lowest levels of any US-Russia arms control deal in history.

The initial agreement signed by the two presidents is meant to guide negotiators as the nations work toward a replacement pact for the Strategic Arms Control Reduction Treaty (START-1), which is due to expire in December. The "joint understanding" issued by the two presidents also commits the new treaty to lower each country's long-range missiles to between 500 and 1,100. The two leaders also announced several other deals aimed at progress toward repairing badly damaged bilateral relations, including Moscow allowing Washington to transport arms and materials across its land and airspace into Afghanistan for the war there.

The signing of the document is expected to play a positive role in enhancing mutual trust and stabilizing the regional situation. According to a report issued by the US Department of State in April, Washington and Moscow owned 5,576 and 3,909 nuclear warheads respectively by January 1 this year.

Why have the two countries ended their strained relations and now are talking to achieve some positive results? The key reason is that talks on strategic arms control between the US and Russia have become a serious concern to the international community, which has contributed a lot to the warming-up of the chilly bilateral ties and the nuclear disarmament process between the two that had been deadlocked for years.

For Obama, the top priority is to rescue the reeling US economy and make adjustments to the country's foreign and national security strategy. Obama brings a new mentality to improve the country's compromised international image and reputation and to boost its status as the world's superpower. The new US president is well aware that reduction of US strategic nuclear arsenals will not weaken its absolute superiority in economic, scientific, technological and military fronts.

In his eyes, Russia is the only country that is qualified to have a nuclear war with the US. Therefore, adjusting ties with Moscow and strengthening bilateral cooperation has been viewed as an important move toward the adoption of a new diplomatic and security approach.

In the current world, substantial progress would be difficult in numerous matters without Russia's participation and cooperation. To clinch a new nuclear weapons control deal with Russia by the end of this year to replace the old one undoubtedly means a major contribution to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) due to be reviewed the next year.

For Russia, striking such a deal has also been a long-anticipated goal in line with its national interests. The eastern expansion campaign launched by NATO and the organization's support of rebellions in Russia's Chechen Republic and the "Color Revolutions" in neighboring Central Asian countries have been viewed as the West's steps to squeeze Moscow's strategic space. Also, Russia cannot tolerate the US decision to deploy a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, viewing it as directly targeting Russia's strategic weapons, breaking the long-established strategic equilibrium with the US and threatening its core security interests.

To show its determination to maintain its national interests, Russia has taken a series of actions to counter the alleged US strategic offensives, ranging from threatening to withdraw from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces In Europe (CFE) and the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-range and Shorter-range Missiles, to its adoption of military actions in Georgia and its dissatisfaction with Georgia and Ukraine's entry into the NATO. Russia has also threatened to deploy some new-type missiles near Poland and list the countries within the US missiles defense shield as strike targets.

However, Russia has a heavy burden in maintaining its enormous stockpile of strategic weapons left over from the Cold War, many of which have become antiquated. Moscow badly needs an appropriate chance to cut down its obsolete arsenals to show its responsibility as a power. Also, under the impact of the global financial crisis, Russia has been preoccupied with how to boost its slowed economy and raise the living condition of its people.

Under these circumstances, preserving a much-needed equilibrium with the US in the field of offensive weapons has become Russia's top priority, and the country also wishes to raise its status as a big power and improve relations with Europe.

For China, the US-Russian deal is a major step toward helping maintain the world peace and stability.

China's national policy has been to pursue a complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons since 1964 when it conducted its first nuclear explosion. The country's purpose was entirely to break nuclear threat and nuclear blackmail, just as it declared after its first nuclear explosion. China also declared that at no time and under no circumstances would the country be the first to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. Once nuclear arsenals in other countries are reduced to its level, both in quality and in quantity, China will surely join them in nuclear disarmament.

The author is deputy director of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.

(China Daily July 9, 2009)