China rejects US claim of holding secret nuclear weapon tests underground
Bureau: China has rejected US claim of holding secret nuclear weapon test. China has respond to US claim and said, ‘it shouldn’t have to bother denying a report from the US State Department that suggests the Chinese government may have triggered secret nuclear blasts at an underground test site last year.’
According to a Media Report, the report, which was released on Wednesday and first revealed by the Wall Street Journal, raises concerns that China might have violated the “zero yield” standard for nuclear blasts. The standard basically prohibits countries from creating any kind of explosive chain reaction like the one used in nuclear warheads.
The US State Department claimed that it is “possible” that Beijing breached that standard at China’s Lop Nur nuclear test site throughout last year, based on monitoring evidence of work around the site.
The report does not actually provide evidence of a low-yield test.
Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, dismissed the accusation and insisted that Beijing remains committed to a moratorium on nuclear tests. He also accused the US of making false claims at a time when Washington is already eager to blame China for the coronavirus pandemic.
“China has always adopted a responsible attitude, earnestly fulfilling the international obligations and promises it has assumed,” Zhao said at a briefing. “The US accusation against China is made of thin air, which is totally unfounded and not worth refuting.”
Zhao also accused the US of hypocrisy by pointing out Washington’s decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (IMF) Treaty and other international agreements meant to restrict nuclear weapons development.
China and the US both signed the CTBT back in 1996, but neither of them actually ratified it to bring it into force. China insists it’s been following the treaty anyway, although it also maintains about 300 nuclear weapons for “defensive” purposes.
Russia, France and Britain also signed the CTBT, which has no actual power under international law. It must be ratified before an inspection standard can be put into place.
The US report says China blocked sensor transmissions meant to allow international monitors to watch for violations of the CTBT deal.
There was a transmission interruption that began in 2018 and lasted until last August, a spokesperson for the watchdog CTBT organization told the Wall Street Journal. However, there have been no interruptions since that last one ended.
