Germany: Disarmament talks should also include China

By Ayhan Simsek </p> <p>MUNICH (AA) – Chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested broader talks on global disarmament that would include China, after the collapse of a landmark nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia. </p> <p>&quot;Disarmament is something that we all have to deal with,” the German leader said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. </p> <p>“We would be glad if such talks were held not just between the United States and Russia but also with China,” she said. </p> <p>Her remarks came ahead of a planned international disarmament conference in Berlin next month, which would focus on new advanced weapons systems. </p> <p>The U.S. and Russia abandoned the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear (INF) treaty early this month, after Washington accused Moscow of violating the treaty. </p> <p>The treaty, signed in 1987 between the U.S. and Russia, was seen as a cornerstone of European security in the post-Cold War era. </p> <p>It prohibited both countries from possessing and testing ground launch missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.