The Trump administration has discussed arranging reciprocal visits to nuclear sites with China, according to CNN reporting cited in Just Security's Early Edition roundup published Wednesday, in a move that would mark a notable — if tentative — step toward military transparency between the two rivals.
Separately, the United States issued a formal démarche to Russia over Moscow's failure to disclose details surrounding the death of a plague laboratory worker, an episode that has raised fresh questions about Russian compliance with international biological-weapons norms. Démarches are among the sharpest formal diplomatic protests short of sanctions.
On the Russia front, President Trump said he has a call with Vladimir Putin scheduled 'soon,' keeping alive the administration's pattern of direct leader-to-leader engagement even as the relationship remains strained by unresolved security disputes.
The developments land at a delicate moment for U.S. diplomacy: nuclear modernization is accelerating on all sides, and confidence-building measures — however modest — carry outsized weight. Whether the reciprocal site visits move from discussion to reality will be watched closely in both Beijing and Washington.
