POLICY BRIEF Oliver Meier/Michael Staack Focused Multilateralism: How China and Germany can better engage on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation Summary → Even in times of increased competition between China, Russia and the United States, Europeans have agency when it comes to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. Europeans will need to up their level of ambition in pursuing their own interests in making multilateral instruments more resilient. → China as a nuclear weapon state and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council bears a special ­responsibility to uphold the international order, including in the field of arms control, disarmament and non-prolif­eration. China will need to begin closing the gap between its stated ambitions to support multilateralism with its ­often overly passive policies. → The economic competition between the West and China is casting a long shadow over attempts by Europe and China to engage on ADN. To the degree possible, both sides should try to separate economic and security i­ssues. → Europeans should adopt a nuanced approach toward transparency vis-à-vis China, engaging China in discus­sions about the generic value of openness for crisis and arms race stability. China for its part should be open to calls by Europeans and other states to explain the rationale for its nuclear policies above. → Europe and China should explore options to strengthen the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty(CTBT), ­including by discussing technical options to improve ­international trust and confidence that activities at ­nuclear test sites are peaceful. Focused Multilateralism: How China and Germany can better engage on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation 1