China rejects U.S. allegations of nuclear explosive tests

(ECNS)--China on Wednesday rejected recent remarks by a senior U.S. official accusing China of conducting nuclear explosive tests.

At a regular press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China had noted reports that U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Thomas G. DiNanno urged China to participate in "multilateral talks" on nuclear arms control and strategic stability and alleged that China carried out "nuclear explosive tests" in June 2020, while outlining U.S. proposals on nuclear arms control at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

"The position of the United States is nothing new to us," Lin said, adding that the U.S. keeps distorting and vilifying China's nuclear policy. "This is essentially part of the U.S.'s political manipulation to seek nuclear supremacy and shirk its nuclear disarmament responsibility."

Lin stressed that the U.S. is the biggest source of disruption to the international nuclear order and global strategic stability. In the area of arms control, the U.S. simply let the New START treaty expire to the detriment of trust between major countries and global strategic stability. The U.S. clings to the policy of first use of nuclear weapons. The U.S. has spent trillions of dollars to upgrade its nuclear triad, and has been working to build a global anti-missile system and establish forward deployment of strategic assets. The U.S. applies double standards on nuclear non-proliferation. All of those seriously disrupt global strategic balance and stability and undermine international and regional peace and security.

He noted that sitting on an enormous nuclear arsenal, the U.S. should fulfill its special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament. This is the international consensus. On New START, China has made clear its position on multiple occasions.

"We hope the U.S. will resume dialogue with Russia on strategic stability to discuss the arrangements beyond the treaty's expiration, which is what the world would hope to see," Lin said.

The U.S. accusation of Chinese nuclear explosive tests is completely groundless. China opposes the U.S.'s fabrication of pretexts for its own resumption of nuclear tests. China urges the U.S. to renew the commitment of the five nuclear-weapons states to a moratorium on nuclear testing, uphold the global consensus on the ban on nuclear testing, and take concrete actions to safeguard the international nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime, Lin added.

Lin reiterated that China is committed to peaceful development, follows a nuclear strategy that focuses on self-defense, and maintains long-term consistency in its nuclear policy. "We will continue playing a constructive role in safeguarding international peace and security," he said.

（By Evelyn）