US accuses China of secret nuclear test and raises tension between powers

Nuclear treaty between Russia and the USA ends; understand why the scenario must change An accusation by the United States against China has reignited tensions between the two nuclear powers and the debate about the future of arms control, in a context of growing strategic rivalry and distrust between the two countries. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The United States claims to have evidence that suggests China carried out a secret nuclear test. According to Washington, a seismic signal detected in June 2020 near the Lop Nur site, in western China, corresponds to a low-power nuclear explosion. North American authorities assess that the recorded data does not correspond to an earthquake or any known mining activity. They suggest the possibility of a deliberately discreet test, possibly designed to circumvent international monitoring and verification mechanisms. Beijing categorically rejects the allegations and accuses Washington of distorting the facts to justify its own nuclear strategy. International experts remain cautious. The observed seismic signals are considered too weak to definitively confirm that there was a nuclear test, given the lack of sufficient technical evidence. Vacuum in arms control Archive image shows nuclear weapon test carried out by the United States Yucca Flats, in the state of Nevada, in 1955. United States Atomic Commission via AP In addition to the scientific analysis, the case occurs amid a broader challenge in the disarmament scenario. It comes as the last major treaty limiting the strategic arsenals of major nuclear powers has expired, leaving an arms control vacuum. Named New START, the nuclear arms control treaty signed between the United States and Russia in 2010 expired this month. Faced with this, President Donald Trump called for a new agreement that includes China. The document imposed limits of 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 800 launchers and heavy bombers for each side, with mutual verification mechanisms. However, the effectiveness of the treaty has already been compromised since 2023, when inspections were suspended as a result of the large-scale Russian offensive in Ukraine. READ ALSO CIA bets on family man drama and releases video in Chinese to recruit spies in China; WATCH Nuclear missiles, powerful drones and secret weapons: how China’s military might threatens the US; VIDEO INFOGRAPHIC: avalanche in Italy leaves 3 skiers dead in the Alps USA threatens to resume tests Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Busan, South Korea Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein In this context, Washington raises the possibility of resuming nuclear tests in the name of strategic balance. The perspective increases the concerns of analysts, who warn of growing distrust and the risk of escalation between nuclear powers. On Tuesday (17), a senior US government official stated that the US is ready to resume low-power nuclear tests, ending decades of moratorium, and reiterated accusations of secret explosions by China. Christopher Yeaw, deputy secretary of the State Department’s Office of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, said Trump was serious when he declared in October that the United States would resume nuclear tests, without giving details. “As the president said, the United States will return to testing on equal terms,” said Yeaw at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington. “Equal conditions, however, presuppose a response to a previous pattern. You don’t need to look beyond China or Russia to find that pattern,” he explained. Yeaw did not announce a date for these tests and said that Trump will make the decision, but indicated that they will take place in a “even scenario”. “We will not continue to be at an intolerable disadvantage,” he added. VIDEOS: most watched on g1

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