Russia said on Tuesday it was unrealistic to expect China to join arms controls talks being held between Moscow and Washington, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was reported as saying by the Interfax news agency.
The United States has long called on Beijing to join such talks.
Ryabkov was speaking a day after he met the US special presidential envoy for arms control in Vienna.
The two men discussed global security issues, and a possible extension of the START nuclear arms control treaty in particular, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.