Preview to 2016 Nuclear Security Summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping (4th L, front) poses for a group photo during the third Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, March 25, 2014. [Photo:Xinhua/Zhang Duo]

Chinese president Xi Jinping, US president Barack Obama and other world leaders are set to begin this year's Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC this Thursday.

Around 50 different national delegations will attend the event.

CRI Washington correspondent Luo Laiming with a preview.

Before the official launch of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, a media frenzy had already started in the US capital as government representatives and scholars hurried to air their stances on the issue of nuclear security.

The recent developments on the Korean Peninsula had been duly noted. But while news-hunters inevitably go after the sensational topics, some still manage to stay focused on the purpose of the Summit.

The latest discoveries from the terrorist attack in Brussels have revealed the suspects had been secretly monitoring the comings and goings of a Belgian nuclear scientist.

The incident has heightened existing concerns about ISIS' efforts to obtain nuclear materials.

And preventing terrorist acquisition of weapons-grade nuclear materials is precisely the goal of the Nuclear Summits. Laura Holgate is senior director for Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism and Threat Reduction at the US National Security Council.

"The summits were, in fact, designed explicitly to enhance, elevate, expand, and empower architecture of treaties, institutions, norms and practices to effectively address the threats we face today and in the future."

However, Holgate also points out that since the impact of a nuclear terrorist attack would be global, the solutions must, therefore, also be global.

The United States may have initiated the Summit architecture, but they also need other nations to play ball, so bilateral and multilateral cooperation is going to be at the center of the discussion.

Dan Kritenbrink, Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the US National Security Council highlighted the tempo of bilateral cooperation between China and the US, as the two countries' leaders are scheduled to meet on Thursday during the Summit.

"I think because of this high tempo senior level engagement, we've been able to identify opportunities for cooperation where our interests align, for example I think bilateral cooperation with China right now is exceptionally broad and deep on issues ranging from climate to nuclear security to development, public health, Iran and Afghanistan. But our engagement has also allowed us to address differences in a very candid and constructive way. We don't paper over these differences, we don't' hide them, we don't pull punches in addressing them. So I anticipate you'll see that balanced approach at display on March 31st."

A trilateral discussion among Japan, South Korea and the US is also scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Apart from agreements on the senior level, the summit will also showcase more concrete results.

Over the course of three Nuclear Security Summits, a number of Centers of Excellence on Nuclear Security have been set up in various countries, the latest being the result of joint effort between China and the US in the outskirts of Beijing.

These facilities will provide exemplary services for regional and international nuclear security training and technical exchanges.

However, this year's Summit is not without challenges - chief of which is the matter of sustainability.

Initiated by US president Barack Obama, the Summits are not going to last beyond the incumbent's presidency.

As this year's organizer, the US government has proposed a range of deliverables including national statements, action plans, and a communique.

But how much of these will pass on to the international community in the future will rely on the extent of understanding and commitment achieved in the upcoming event.