US, China discuss reciprocal nuclear facility visits: Report

The US has explored starting reciprocal nuclear facility inspections with China, CNN reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Officials held informal and preliminary talks on the initiative, with Washington preparing to advocate for reciprocal access during upcoming in-person meetings over the coming months.

Chinese representatives initially proposed the concept during diplomatic exchanges with American officials earlier this year, signaling possible interest in pursuing confidence-building measures toward a broader strategic accord.

The consultations covered potential visits to US Department of Energy national laboratories alongside corresponding Chinese research centers. Washington also expressed openness to discussing mutual access to nuclear test sites, according to CNN.

Neither US nor Chinese government institutions issued an immediate public response to the report.

Earlier this year, the US accused China of an “unprecedented, deliberate, rapid, and opaque” buildup of nuclear weapons. China, on the other hand, said the US has “one of the world’s largest and most advanced” nuclear arsenals and “is obsessed with pursuing absolute security superiority.”

Following a Sept. 24 summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said Trump “advocated for trilateral arms control negotiations between the US, Russia, and China,” though there was no mention of the proposal in the Chinese readout.