The United States has leveled serious accusations against China, claiming that Beijing secretly detonated a nuclear warhead in 2020 and attempted to conceal the activity. US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Thomas DiNanno, disclosed these allegations during remarks made in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.
The US asserts that this alleged nuclear explosive testing violates international agreements, specifically referencing a longstanding moratorium that has governed nuclear weapon detonations since its inception. DiNanno mentioned that China has engaged in activities involving nuclear tests with yields measuring in the hundreds of tons, emphasizing that one such test reportedly took place on June 22, 2020. To mask these operations from global monitoring, China allegedly utilized a technique known as “decoupling,” which minimizes seismic signatures detectable by monitoring systems.
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in the US reiterated the country’s commitment to peaceful development and maintained that China operates under a principle of “no first use” concerning nuclear arms. The official asserted that China’s nuclear strategy focuses on self-defense and is in line with its pledge to maintain a testing moratorium.
The context of this revelation emerges particularly poignant, as it follows the expiration of the New START agreement, which previously governed the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia. This treaty was critical for maintaining transparency and limiting the number of deployed nuclear weapons by both nations.
Floyd Robert, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), countered DiNanno’s claims by stating that their monitoring systems did not detect any nuclear test explosion consistent with the described characteristics during the indicated period. He emphasized that subsequent analysis further supported this conclusion.
These developments raise concerns about global nuclear stability, particularly as the Pentagon has estimated that China’s nuclear arsenal could exceed 1,000 warheads by 2030. The discussion of a new nuclear arms agreement is underway, which would need to address not only Russia’s extensive stockpile but also China’s growing military capabilities.
The dynamics of international nuclear relations continue to shift, and the call for increased transparency and communication between the countries may become more critical in maintaining peace and stability in a rapidly evolving global landscape.