2008 U.S.-China Strategic Nuclear Dynamics Conference

Introduction & Key Findings

On June 9 and 10, 2008, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), the RAND Corporation, and the China Foundation for International Strategic Studies (CFISS) jointly convened a unique “track 1.5” conference to discuss strategic nuclear weapons issues in the U.S.-China relationship. The 2008 conference was the fourth in a series of meetings that CSIS and CFISS began in January 2000, with the first full bilateral conference held in 2004 in Beijing.

U.S. participation was sponsored jointly by the Departments of State and Defense. The sponsor in the Department of State was the Regional Affairs Office in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. The sponsor in the Department of Defense was the Advanced Systems and Concepts Office in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.