US State Department: "China Conducts Secret Small-Scale Nuclear Test"

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] A U.S. government report has been produced alleging that China is secretly conducting small-scale nuclear tests in violation of international agreements. There is a possibility that the already strained U.S.-China relations, worsened by the COVID-19 outbreak, could deteriorate further.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 15th (local time), the U.S. State Department claimed in a soon-to-be-released report that there is evidence China is conducting zero-yield nuclear tests at the Lop Nur nuclear test site located in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Zero-yield tests refer to small-scale experiments that release almost no nuclear energy during a nuclear explosion.

China has maintained that it strictly complies with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), signed in 1996, which bans all nuclear tests. Therefore, if the U.S. State Department report revealing China’s nuclear testing is made public, it would publicly accuse China of violating international agreements. However, the U.S. has not presented clear evidence in the report specifically proving that China is conducting zero-yield tests.

The report explained that concerns about China’s zero-yield tests arise from the year-round operational readiness of the Lop Nur nuclear test site, the use of explosive storage rooms, and extensive ongoing excavation activities. It also added that although international organizations operating nuclear activity monitoring facilities in China have been detecting and transmitting data on radiation emissions and seismic vibrations, recent blocking of related data transmissions has intensified suspicions.

These claims emerged as the U.S. is planning to include China in new nuclear negotiations. The U.S. is preparing a new nuclear arms reduction agreement involving the U.S., China, and Russia ahead of the 2021 expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between the U.S. and Russia, which limits the number of nuclear warheads. On the other hand, China has repeatedly emphasized its unwillingness to participate in a trilateral nuclear weapons reduction agreement with the U.S. and Russia.

The WSJ expressed concern that if this State Department report is made public, the already deteriorated U.S.-China relations due to COVID-19 response, South China Sea issues, and trade wars could worsen further.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.