US President Donald Trump has alleged that Russia and China are conducting undisclosed nuclear tests, a claim that Beijing has firmly rejected.
“Russia is testing, China is testing, but they’re not talking about it,” Trump said in an interview aired Sunday on CBS, without providing details about the alleged tests, as reported by Online Vijesti.
He added that the United States might also resume testing, saying, “We’re going to do tests because others are doing tests. North Korea is doing tests. Pakistan is doing tests.” Trump claimed that some countries conduct their nuclear tests underground, making them difficult to detect except for minor ground vibrations.
No nation—apart from North Korea, which carried out six tests between 2006 and 2017—has officially conducted a nuclear test in the past three decades. Russia, then part of the Soviet Union, last carried out a test in 1990, while China’s last known test was in 1996.
Most major powers, including the US, continue to test their delivery systems, such as missiles, submarines, and aircraft, but not nuclear warheads themselves.
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning dismissed the accusations, reiterating that “China has always followed the path of peaceful development,” adheres to a policy of “no first use” of nuclear weapons, and remains committed to its moratorium on nuclear testing.
Mao urged Washington to “take concrete steps to uphold global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, and maintain strategic balance and international stability.”
