China Secretly Testing Nukes, Expanding Arsenal: US Calls for New Tripartite Pact
- Geneva, Switzerland – The United States has accused China of conducting a secret nuclear test in 2020, a charge that has heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing as...
- US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno told the Disarmament Conference that the US government is aware China conducted nuclear explosive tests,...
- “China has used decoupling – a method to decrease the effectiveness of seismic monitoring – to hide their activities from the world,” DiNanno stated, according to reports.
Geneva, Switzerland – The United States has accused China of conducting a secret nuclear test in 2020, a charge that has heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing as a key arms control treaty lapsed this week. The accusation, leveled on at a global disarmament conference in Geneva, comes as the US calls for a new, broader arms control agreement that would include China and Russia.
US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno told the Disarmament Conference that the US government is aware China conducted nuclear explosive tests, including preparations for tests with yields in the “hundreds of tons.” He specifically cited a test conducted on , alleging that Beijing sought to conceal the activity by using methods to obscure seismic monitoring – a technique known as “decoupling.”
“China has used decoupling – a method to decrease the effectiveness of seismic monitoring – to hide their activities from the world,” DiNanno stated, according to reports. He further asserted that China recognized these tests would violate existing test ban commitments.
The allegations surfaced just a day after the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, expired. This has raised concerns about a potential new arms race between the two nuclear superpowers, and the US is now pushing for a trilateral agreement that would bring China into the fold.
China’s ambassador on disarmament, Shen Jian, dismissed the accusations as “false narratives” and accused the US of exacerbating the arms race. He maintained that Beijing has consistently acted “prudently and responsibly” on nuclear issues. “China firmly opposes such false narratives,” Shen Jian said. He also argued that the US and Russia bear the primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament, given their larger arsenals.
The timing of the US accusation is significant. The Trump administration has repeatedly called for China’s inclusion in arms control talks, arguing that the current bilateral framework between the US and Russia is insufficient to address the evolving global security landscape. President Donald Trump last year called for the resumption of US nuclear weapons tests, a move that further underscored Washington’s hardening stance.
The US claim of a 2020 nuclear test is a new development, according to diplomats at the conference. While the US has long expressed concerns about China’s growing nuclear capabilities, this is the first time specific allegations of a clandestine test have been made publicly. The lack of detail provided by DiNanno regarding the nature of the test and the evidence supporting the claim has prompted questions from observers.
The expiration of the New START treaty leaves the US and Russia without legally binding limits on their nuclear arsenals for the first time in decades. The treaty, originally signed in , capped the number of strategic nuclear warheads each country could deploy and limited the number of delivery systems. Russia had offered a one-year extension of the treaty, but the Trump administration declined, insisting on a broader agreement that includes China.
The US argument centers on the belief that China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal cannot be ignored. Washington contends that a meaningful arms control regime must include all major nuclear powers to be effective. However, China has consistently resisted calls to participate in multilateral arms control talks, arguing that its nuclear capabilities are far smaller than those of the US and Russia and that it has no intention of engaging in an arms race.
The international community is watching closely as the situation unfolds. The potential for a renewed arms race between the US, Russia, and China is a serious concern, and the lack of dialogue and transparency between the three countries is exacerbating the risks. The US is now seeking to build international pressure on China to engage in arms control talks, but it remains to be seen whether Beijing will change its position.
The US State Department has not yet released further details about the alleged 2020 nuclear test, but officials have indicated that the information has been declassified. The move to publicly accuse China suggests a deliberate attempt to raise the stakes and compel Beijing to engage in negotiations. The coming weeks and months will be critical in determining whether a new arms control framework can be established, or whether the world is heading towards a more dangerous and unstable nuclear landscape.
Other nuclear-armed nations, such as Britain and France, have also been suggested by Russia as potential participants in future arms control discussions, highlighting the complexity of establishing a truly comprehensive and effective regime. The US maintains that while broader participation is desirable, the immediate priority is to engage China in meaningful talks.