China has said it adheres to its international obligations on nuclear weapons after U.S. President Donald Trump said Beijing is one of several powers that have conducted secret testing of them.
Why it Matters
Last week, Trump announced on social media that he had ordered the Department of Defense to immediately begin testing nuclear weapons, as Russia and China—the key nuclear rivals of the U.S.—have continued testing their respective arsenals. A U.S. resumption of the testing of nuclear weapons would be a serious escalation of the unfolding arms race and a break with decades-old international commitments.
While Trump has not spelled out exactly what he means by his announcement last week, Energy Secretary Chris Wright later clarified that the tests will not include actual detonations like those it had previously carried out. Instead, they will involve all other parts of a nuclear weapon to ensure they can trigger an atomic explosion.
What To Know
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked about Trump’s remarks at a regular press briefing on Monday, November 3.
“As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and a responsible nuclear-weapon state, China has always adhered to the path of peaceful development, upheld the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, pursued a self-defensive nuclear strategy, and faithfully observed its commitment to suspending nuclear tests,” Mao said, originally in Chinese, state-run China News Service reported.
“We are willing to work together with all parties to safeguard the authority of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and uphold the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
“We also hope the U.S. side will earnestly fulfill its obligations under the CTBT and its commitment to suspending nuclear tests, take concrete actions to maintain the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and preserve global strategic balance and stability.”
In an interview with 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday, Trump said “we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries” and claimed China, Russia, Pakistan, and North Korea were already doing it.
“Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it,” Trump said. “You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it.”
Trump did not elaborate on exactly what kind of testing he believed China and the other countries had carried out. Only North Korea has been known to have tested a nuclear bomb this century, mostly recently in 2017.
Russia recently conducted a test of a nuclear-capable torpedo, while China showcased a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of “covering the entire globe.”
Both China and the United States are among countries that have signed but not ratified the agreement. Still, both have adhered to its principles, with neither known to have conducted a full-scale nuclear weapons test since the CTBT’s signing in 1996.
While China’s nuclear stockpile remains far smaller than those of Russia and the U.S., it has expanded rapidly in recent years, modernizing its missile forces and delivery systems to establish a “nuclear triad”—capabilities for land-, sea- and air-based strategic deterrence.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, referring to nuclear weapons, said in his interview with 60 Minutes: “As powerful as they are, this is a big world. You don’t necessarily know where they’re testing. They test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening with the test. You feel a little bit of a vibration. They test and we don’t test. We have to test.”
What Happens Next
Trump has not given a timeline for his plan to resume nuclear testing.
