The United States has discussed starting reciprocal visits to nuclear sites with China, and plans to continue pushing in meetings in the coming months, CNN reported on Tuesday (Oct 6), citing sources familiar with the matter.

The idea of reciprocal visits was initially raised by China in meetings with US officials this year and visits to US Department of Energy national laboratories and equivalent Chinese facilities were discussed, CNN said, citing a source.

The discussions between US and Chinese officials have mainly been on the sidelines of gatherings by the UN Security Council's five veto-wielding permanent members, CNN reported.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment outside business hours.

US President Donald Trump called for trilateral arms control negotiations between the US, China and Russia when he met President Xi Jinping last month. However, the two leaders did not discuss the possibility of nuclear site visits during their talks, the CNN report said, citing a US official.

Beijing has said its nuclear arsenal is far smaller than those of Russia and the US, something it says makes its participation in such talks unnecessary.

Another meeting between Trump and Xi is widely considered likely this year, potentially at November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China or during Group of 20 meetings in the US in December.

By the time the two leaders meet again, it is expected that further lower-level discussions on possible nuclear site visits will have taken place, CNN said.

Source: Reuters

– Agencies