New START Treaty - the world's last major nuclear arms control pact signed between US and Russia - has expired. And now, Washington has revived a charge that China may have secretly conducted a nuclear test in 2020. It is the timing of the claim that raises a larger question: Are we entering the era of nuclear arms race 2.0? A top US official on Tuesday revived the claims of a secret China nuclear test in 2020.
At an event hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw said that a fresh analysis of seismic data of an underground event at China's Lop Nor nuclear site in June 2020 had revealed that it was a "singular explosion... not consistent with an earthquake... what you would expect with a nuclear explosive test". Yeaw quoted a report by a remote monitoring station in Kazakhstan that detected an "explosion" measuring magnitude 2.75 on June 22, that appeared to originate roughly 450 miles away at Lop Nor.
"I have looked at additional data since then. There is very little possibility I would say that it is anything but an explosion, a singular explosion. It's also entirely not consistent with an earthquake. It is ... what you would expect with a nuclear explosive test," he added.
The US' charge comes at a fraught moment. The New Start Treaty expired on February 5. Its expiration has removed formal constraints on the world's two largest nuclear arsenals. US President Donald Trump has been urging China to join the US and Russia in talks to set up a successor framework. Beijing, however, has repeatedly rejected the proposal, arguing that its nuclear arsenal is far smaller than those of both Washington and Moscow.
China's embassy in Washington swiftly dismissed Yeaw's allegation. Spokesperson Liu Pengyu said, "This is political manipulation aimed at pursuing nuclear hegemony and evading its own nuclear disarmament responsibilities." The emailed statement added: "China urges the US to reaffirm the five nuclear-weapon states' commitment on refraining from nuclear tests, uphold the global consensus against nuclear tests, and take concrete steps to safeguard the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime."
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), which operates a global network designed to detect nuclear explosions, struck a more cautious tone. It confirmed that the PS23 seismic station in Kazakhstan recorded "two very small seismic events" spaced 12 seconds apart on June 22, 2020.
Yeaw suggested that if a test occurred, China may have used the decoupling detonation technique whereby a device is detonated inside a large underground cavity to muffle seismic signals, and thus reduce the apparent magnitude. China last officially conducted an underground nuclear test in 1996.
China, like the US, has signed but not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which prohibits explosive nuclear testing. Signatories are expected under international law to refrain from actions that would defeat its object and purpose.
The US last carried out an underground nuclear test in 1992. Since then, it has relied on a vast Stockpile Stewardship Program, using advanced diagnostics, laboratory experiments and high-performance supercomputing to maintain the reliability of its nuclear arsenal without explosive testing.
China's increasing nuclear arsenal has left the Pentagon worried. According to Pentagon's latest estimates, China now possesses more than 600 operational nuclear warheads and is rapidly expanding its missile silos, submarine fleet and long-range bomber capabilities. Some US defence officials estimate that Beijing could possess more than 1000 warheads by 2030.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
