Beijing urged Washington to comply with the moratorium and “uphold the international consensus on the nuclear test ban”
China described the United States’ accusations about alleged explosive nuclear tests on its territory as unfounded and accused Washington of looking for pretexts to resume its own atomic tests.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, stated at a press conference that the US accusations are “unfounded and evasive” and “have no basis”, reacting to recent statements by a US delegation at the Disarmament Conference in Geneva.
According to Mao, China “firmly supports the purposes and objectives” of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and has respected the commitment of the five nuclear-armed states to maintain a moratorium on testing.
The spokesperson also accused the United States of “incriminating and defaming other countries” to escape its international obligations in terms of arms control, a practice that, she stated, “serious harms its international credibility”.
Beijing urged Washington to comply with the moratorium and “uphold the international consensus on the nuclear test ban.”
The statements come after the US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Christopher Yeaw, stated on Monday, in Geneva, that the US has data pointing to an alleged Chinese test in 2020 in the Lop Nur desert, in addition to warning of the rapid expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal.
The exchange of accusations coincides with the expiration, on February 5, of the New START treaty between the United States and Russia and with new diplomatic contacts in Geneva on the future of nuclear arms control, in which Washington defends that a possible new agreement also includes China.
