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China on Monday rejected U.S. allegations that it has conducted secret nuclear explosive tests, calling the claims “outright lies” and accusing Washington of attempting to justify restarting its own nuclear testing program.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the allegations were “completely groundless” and expressed firm opposition to what it described as irresponsible actions by the United States.
The accusations were raised Friday at the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva by Thomas DiNanno, the U.S. under secretary of state for arms control.
DiNanno alleged that China had carried out secret nuclear explosive tests, including one on June 22, 2020, and claimed that Beijing was preparing for further tests involving massive yields.
In response, China said the allegations were fabricated and accused Washington of seeking excuses to restart its own nuclear weapons testing.
“The U.S. allegations are completely groundless and are outright lies,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to Agence France Presse (AFP), adding that China “firmly opposes” such claims.
China urged the United States to “immediately stop its irresponsible actions,” reiterating its rejection of the accusations.
The statement came amid renewed debate in Washington over nuclear testing.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in October that the United States would begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Moscow and Beijing, though he did not elaborate on the type or scope of testing he intended to resume.
DiNanno’s comments in Geneva came as he presented a new U.S. proposal calling for three-way talks with Russia and China aimed at setting new limits on nuclear weapons.
The proposal follows the expiration of New START, described as the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between Washington and Moscow, which expired last Thursday.
China has already rejected participation in disarmament negotiations “at this stage.”
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