Expanding and sustaining dialogue between China and the Wassenaar Arrangement

China’s rise means that it is now widely viewed as an important actor in the fields of international security and politics. This is especially true in relation to the global arms trade, where China’s market share has risen in step with its growing economic and military capabilities. As China becomes more engaged abroad, and as it increases its exposure to international norms and institutions, its ability and willingness to comply with prevailing international commitments on conventional arms and transfer controls will serve as an important indication of the type of power and influence that China will exert in the coming decades.

In our report Expanding and sustaining dialogue between China and the Wassenaar Arrangement we look at China’s evolving approach to conventional arms control, with a particular focus on how international actors can engage effectively to enlist China’s support and adherence to one of the key multilateral export controls regimes that it currently remains outside of – the Wassenaar Arrangement. We also identify future prospects for achieving concrete, near-term progress in strengthening China’s export control commitments.

Click here to read more about our work on China.

Click here to read more about our work on arms.

“An effective strategy needs to respond to China’s emergence in a way that assures regional and global stability and increasingly integrates the country as a partner, or at least not an outlier, in achieving a safer and more secure world free from illicit trade in weapons of mass destruction, conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.”

Bernardo Mariani, Dr Chin-Hao Huang