1.   Meanwhile Washington seems to be offering another sweetener, that the proposed anti-missile shield will extend to other countries which sign up to the scheme.

2.   China fiercely opposes the proposed shield as a security threat that could force it to beef up its nuclear arsenal.

3.   Key American allies oppose the proposed shield.

4.   The Chinese have been concerned about issues such as U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and a proposed anti-missile shield.

5.   Washington argues that its proposed national shield is not aimed at China and Russia but at stopping missiles from North Korea and other smaller states hostile to U.S. interests.

6.   The proposed shield would have been illegal under the stipulations of the ABM treaty.