China on Monday rejected allegations by the United States that it had conducted secret nuclear explosive tests, calling the claims outright lies and accusing Washington of trying to justify restarting its own nuclear trials.
The denial came after remarks made by US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Thomas DiNanno at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Friday. DiNanno accused China of carrying out covert nuclear tests, including one conducted on June 22, 2020, and claimed Beijing was preparing for further tests with large yields.
Responding to the accusations, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the allegations were completely groundless and fabricated.
In a statement issued to AFP, the ministry said China firmly opposes what it described as a US attempt to invent excuses for resuming nuclear testing. It also urged Washington to immediately stop what it called irresponsible actions.
The comments come amid renewed debate over global nuclear arms control following the expiration of the New START treaty last Thursday. New START was the last remaining nuclear arms reduction agreement between the United States and Russia.
During his address, DiNanno presented a new US proposal calling for trilateral talks between the United States, Russia, and China to establish new limits on nuclear weapons. China has previously rejected participating in such negotiations at this stage.
US President Donald Trump had said in October that Washington would begin testing nuclear weapons on an equal basis with Russia and China, though he did not provide details on the nature or scope of the proposed testing.
China has consistently maintained that it abides by a voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing and has criticised US statements as destabilising for global strategic stability.