US accuses China of secret nuclear test amid New START expiration - Reuters
Illustrative photo: Chinese nuclear missile launchers at a parade (Getty Images)
The US has publicly accused China of a secret nuclear test that, according to Washington, Beijing conducted in 2020 while trying to hide it from international oversight, Reuters informs.
As Deputy US Secretary of State for Arms Control Thomas DiNanno stated during a disarmament conference in Geneva, the Chinese military prepared and carried out a nuclear explosion with a yield of "hundreds of tons" and used special methods to reduce the effectiveness of seismic monitoring.
The US claims that the secret Chinese test took place on June 22, 2020. It violates China’s commitments under the nuclear test ban.
Beijing has denied the accusations. A Chinese representative said that the US continues to "hype up the so-called China nuclear threat" and shift responsibility for the arms race.
Washington’s statement came against the backdrop of the expiration of the New START treaty, which limited the nuclear arsenals of the US and Russia, and active US efforts to advance a new, broader nuclear agreement involving China.
The US emphasizes that bilateral treaties no longer reflect reality, as China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal. According to Washington’s estimates, by 2030, Beijing could have over a thousand warheads. China rejects these estimates and is currently refusing to participate in negotiations.
US President Donald Trump publicly stated on February 5 that Russia and the United States should conclude a "new agreement" to replace the New START treaty. The treaty itself expired on that same day.
During his first term in the White House, Trump called the 2010 New START treaty a "bad deal." The treaty did not take China’s nuclear arsenal into account; meanwhile, according to media reports and experts, Beijing intends to have at least 1,000 warheads by 2030.
For more details on all the risks of the New START expiration, as well as Trump’s and Russia’s goals, see the RBC-Ukraine material World without limits: How Trump and Putin open nuclear arsenals of US and Russia.
