Donald Trump has justified his order for the U.S. to resume nuclear testing by alleging rivals are conducting clandestine tests “way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening.” This claim has been strongly denied by China.
When confronted with the fact that no country besides North Korea is known to test, Trump was dismissive. “As powerful as they are, this is a big world. You don’t necessarily know where they’re testing,” he said.
China’s foreign ministry called the claims baseless. A spokesperson stated that China is a “responsible nuclear-weapons state” and has consistently “abided by its commitment to suspend nuclear testing” as part of its “self-defence” strategy.
Trump’s order was announced on his social media platform, Truth Social. He stated he had “instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” a move he claimed he “hated.”
This directive has sparked fears of a new arms race and follows news of Russia testing its Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile. It is unclear if Trump’s order means a resumption of nuclear explosions.