China has rejected allegations by United States President, Donald Trump, that it has been secretly conducting nuclear weapons tests, firmly maintaining its commitment to the decades-old moratorium on nuclear testing.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, emphasized that Beijing has not violated the informal global suspension of nuclear tests.
“China has abided by its commitment to suspend nuclear testing,” Mao said when responding to Trump’s claims. “As a responsible nuclear-weapon state, China is committed to peaceful development, follows a policy of ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons and a nuclear strategy that focuses on self-defence, and adheres to its nuclear testing moratorium.”
She further urged Washington to uphold the same standard after Trump’s unexpected statement last Thursday, in which he directed the US Department of Defense to “immediately” resume testing.
China, she added, hopes the United States will “take concrete actions to safeguard the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime and maintain global strategic balance and stability.”
Trump’s allegations
In a CBS interview on Sunday, Trump accused several nations, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Pakistan, of secretly conducting underground nuclear tests, offering no evidence to support his claims.
“Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it,” he said. “I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test,” he added, naming North Korea and Pakistan as well.
The United States has not detonated a nuclear device since 1992, while China and Russia say they have not done so since 1996 and 1990, respectively.
North Korea remains the only country known to have carried out nuclear detonations in recent decades.
Russia recently announced tests of its new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, and a nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable underwater drone.
Mixed signals from Washington
Trump’s declaration that he had ordered a return to nuclear testing caused confusion, as it was made on social media minutes before he entered a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Asked in the CBS interview whether the US planned to detonate a nuclear weapon for the first time in over 30 years, Trump said, “I’m saying that we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do, yes.”
However, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright later played down the remarks, clarifying that the tests Trump referred to were not nuclear detonations.
“I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests. These are not nuclear explosions,” Wright told Fox News. “These are what we call ‘non-critical explosions’, so you’re testing all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion.”
