susan thornton just mentioned nuclear. the pentagon says china is going to quadruple the number of its nuclear weapons by 2030, changing its nuclear posture, but today the u.s. says it will discuss nuclear weapons in the future. so john mearsheimer, what's your response to the u.s. announcement? >> well, the fact is they can talk about nuclear arms control, they can talk about trying to tamp down the nuclear arms race that's now started, but they're not going to do that. it's not going to have any effect. the fact is, the united states and china are going to be engaged in a major arms race at the strategic nuclear level just as the soviet union and the united states were during the cold war. both sides will be looking for advantage, not only at the nuclear level but at the conventional level as well. >> reporter: susan thornton, is that arms race inevitable? >> well, i don't agree with the focus of the competition. i think the u.s.-china competition is mainly in the economic and technological realm, it's not really a milit

i'm joined now by susan thornton, former acting assistant secretary of state for east asian and pacificwith us. the one achievements, i suppose, that did come out of this, is that neither side wants to go to work. at each site has laid out some pretty firm redlines on taiwan and they are not entirely compatible. yes. firm redlines on taiwan and they are not entirely compatible.— not entirely compatible. yes, i think on taiwan, _ not entirely compatible. yes, i think on taiwan, this - not entirely compatible. yes, i think on taiwan, this was - not entirely compatible. yes, i think on taiwan, this was a - not entirely compatible. yes, i j think on taiwan, this was a big not entirely compatible. yes, i - think on taiwan, this was a big part of the conversation, obviously. i think the upshot is the two agreed to disagree as they always have on the taiwan issue, but we are really looking to try to do is get some claris signalling back and forth between beijing and washington and also with type a involved, to make sure people know what is going to happen and what the other cytoplasmic and ten