U.S. diplomat DiNanno: The U.S. has learned about China's secret nuclear tests.
The U.S. government is aware of secret nuclear tests being conducted by China. This was stated by Thomas DiNanno, a senior U.S. diplomat responsible for arms control, at the UN Disarmament Conference in Geneva, as reported by the Associated Press.
"Today I can report that the U.S. government is aware that China has conducted nuclear tests, including preparations for tests with yields in the hundreds of tons," DiNanno said. He accused the Chinese military of attempting to conceal these tests by masking nuclear explosions.
The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State also stated that the expiration of the last nuclear arms treaty with Russia marks "the end of an era of unilateral restraint by the U.S." According to him, Washington insists on a new agreement involving not only Russia but also China, whose nuclear arsenal he described as "lacking boundaries, transparency, and control."
"The next era of arms control can and should continue with a clear direction," the diplomat concluded.
The U.S. refusal to extend the New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is linked to the desire to include China in the agreement. Beijing is actively expanding its nuclear arsenal, with estimates suggesting that there are already more than 500 warheads in China, deployed on a nuclear triad (land-based, sea-based, and air-based delivery systems).
However, China considers its nuclear capability to be incomparable to that of Russia and the U.S. In this regard, Beijing does not support the idea of joining the New START.
