China is insisting on its status as a “responsible nuclear-weapons state” after being accused by Donald Trump of conducting secret nuclear tests. The former U.S. president made the claims as he ordered a resumption of U.S. testing.
Trump alleged in a television interview that China and Russia were testing “way underground.” He said, “I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test,” and vowed the U.S. would follow suit.
China’s foreign ministry issued a swift denial. The ministry’s statement affirmed that China has always “upheld a self-defence nuclear strategy” and “abided by its commitment to suspend nuclear testing.”
Trump’s order, announced on social media, instructed the “Department of War” to begin testing “immediately.” He also used the opportunity to claim the U.S. has “more nuclear weapons than any other country.”
This directive has created confusion over whether the U.S. will detonate its first nuclear device since 1992, a move that would escalate global tensions significantly.
