U.S.-China Strategic Dialogue, Phase 8 Report

Abstract : The eighth annual session of the U.S.-China Strategic Dialogue on strategic nuclear issues was held in Oahu, Hawaii, from June 8 to 10, 2014. The dialogue is a Track 1.5 meeting; it is formally unofficial but includes a mix of government and academic participants. The dialogue is organized by the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and Pacific Forum CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) and funded by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering WMD (PASCC) at NPS. For the third time, this meeting was also supported by a Chinese co-host, the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association (CACDA). This non-governmental association, with close ties to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and People's Liberation Army (PLA), helped improve the level and quality of participants and secure support for discussing certain topics. The goal of this series of annual meetings has been to identify important misperceptions regarding each side's nuclear strategy and doctrine and highlight potential areas of cooperation or confidence building measures that might reduce such dangers. This year, 13 participants on the Chinese side--the largest delegation ever--included a mix of active and retired senior PLA officers, officials from the MFA and Ministry of National Defense (MND), experts from government-run civilian Chinese think tanks, and a scholar from a Chinese university. In comparison to previous years, the Chinese side's participation was boosted considerably by the inclusion of more senior participants with relevant military expertise.