China rejected calls to enter talks on a new nuclear treaty after a US-Russian agreement expired on Thursday, ending decades of restrictions on how many warheads the two powers can deploy. Campaigners have warned that the expiry of the New Start treaty could trigger a global arms race, urging nuclear powers to enter negotiations. The United States has said any new nuclear agreement would have to include China, whose nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding. Russia and the United States together control more than 80% of the world’s nuclear warheads. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, which warns of nuclear risks, agreed that China should engage.
