The United States has accused China of secretly conducting a nuclear weapons test in 2020, increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing at a critical time for global arms control.
Speaking at a disarmament conference in Geneva, U.S. Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno said that China carried out a “yield-producing” nuclear test on June 22, 2020. He claimed that Beijing tried to hide the test by using methods that reduce seismic signals, making it harder for international systems to detect explosions.
According to DiNanno, these actions violate China’s commitments under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans nuclear explosive testing. Although China and the U.S. have signed the treaty, neither country has officially ratified it.
China rejected the accusations. Its ambassador to the conference, Shen Jian, said Beijing has always acted responsibly on nuclear matters and accused the U.S. of spreading “false narratives” about a so-called China nuclear threat. He added that Washington is responsible for worsening the global arms race.
Diplomats attending the conference described the U.S. claims as new and concerning.
The accusations come just after the expiration of the New START treaty, which limited U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons since 2010. With the treaty ending, there are now no binding limits on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals for the first time in over 50 years.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a new arms control agreement that would include China as well as Russia. The U.S. government says it will continue modernizing its nuclear forces until such a deal is reached.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will not remain passive while Russia and China expand their nuclear capabilities. He emphasized that America will maintain a strong and modern nuclear deterrent.
The U.S. also repeated its estimate that China could have more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. China disputes this, saying it has far fewer weapons than the U.S. and Russia and is not ready to join new negotiations.
Experts believe Washington revealed the alleged secret test now because it expects little cooperation from Beijing in the near future.
Meanwhile, Trump recently described talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “very positive” and is expected to visit Beijing in April.
Security analysts warn that negotiating a new arms control treaty could take years. Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions have increased the risk of misunderstandings between major powers.
Russia has said it is open to dialogue but prepared for any outcome. It also wants Britain and France to be included in future talks, a proposal those countries have rejected.
At the Geneva conference, Britain and France expressed concern about China’s growing nuclear arsenal and stressed the need for cooperation among major nuclear powers to protect global stability.
Originally Published By: Reuters
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