China denies US claims of nuclear testing, reaffirms no-arms-race policy

China has rejected recent accusations from the United States regarding its nuclear activities, insisting that it is not engaged in an arms race, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defence, stated.

According to the official, the US statements were “completely without factual basis” and “absolutely untenable," Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

According to Zhang, China strictly adheres to a moratorium on nuclear testing and has never violated the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He emphasised that Beijing maintains a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and pursues a self-defence strategy. China’s nuclear forces, he added, are kept at the minimum level necessary to ensure national security.

The comments came after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Christopher T. Yeaw alleged that Russia and China had conducted low-yield nuclear tests in recent years. Yeaw specifically cited an incident in China on June 22, 2020 at a test site near Lake Lobnor in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the country’s northwest.

By Sabina Mammadli