In a major setback to US-China relationship, the US government has accused China of secretly conducting an underground nuclear test. US state department has claimed to find evidence of low-yield nuclear explosions within China’s Lop Nur test site.
In a report revealed by the Wall Street Journal, the US state department states that “China’s possible preparation to operate, extensive excavation activities at Lop Nur and a lack of transparency on its nuclear testing activities raise concerns regarding its adherence to the zero yield standard.
The US state department also states that just before the explosions, China blocked data transmissions from sensors linked to an international monitoring centre. However, a spokeswoman for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), which verifies compliance with the pact, told the Journal that there have been no interruptions in data transmissions from China’s five sensor stations since September 2019.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily briefing in Beijing that China was committed to a moratorium on nuclear tests and said that the United States was making false accusations.
US President Donald Trump has already accused China of causing the pandemic by hiding the extent of the spread in the early days. With this new revelation, it is to be seen how the mercurial President and what will be China’s reaction to all the accusations.
