The United States has accused China of secretly conducting a low-yield nuclear test in 2020, an allegation Beijing firmly denies, at a time when global nuclear arms control is facing its most serious challenge in decades. The claim was made by senior US officials shortly after the expiration of the New START treaty, the last remaining agreement limiting nuclear arsenals between Washington and Moscow.
According to the US, the alleged test involved a yield in the hundreds of tons and was deliberately concealed using techniques designed to reduce seismic detection. American officials argue this violated commitments under the global moratorium on nuclear testing and partly explains the Trump administration’s push to reconsider US restraint on nuclear weapons development.
China has rejected the accusation, insisting it continues to observe a nuclear testing moratorium and follows a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons. International monitoring bodies, including the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, say their systems did not detect evidence of a nuclear explosion consistent with such a test, though experts note very low-yield tests can be difficult to confirm.
The dispute comes at a sensitive moment, as the lapse of New START leaves the world’s two largest nuclear powers without formal limits for the first time in decades. US officials say future arms control efforts must include China, while Beijing argues its arsenal is far smaller than those of the US and Russia.
With trust eroding and no active treaty framework in place, analysts warn that accusations and counterclaims risk accelerating a new nuclear arms race unless fresh diplomatic efforts are launched to restore confidence and restraint.
Source ; CNN News
