China has denied that it had conducted secret nuclear weapons tests, rejecting accusations made by US President Donald Trump.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday that Beijing has “always adhered to peaceful development” and follows a “no first use” nuclear policy.
She stressed that China’s nuclear strategy is strictly defensive and that the country has honoured its commitment to suspend all nuclear testing.
Her remarks came after Trump on Sunday alleged that China and Russia were carrying out undisclosed nuclear tests.
In an interview for CBS News’ 60 minutes program, Trump said, “Russia is testing, and China is testing, but they don’t talk about it,” just days after he directed the Pentagon to prepare for the resumption of US nuclear weapons testing, the first in over three decades.
‘Concrete action’ on non-proliferation regime
Beijing dismissed the allegations as unfounded and called on Washington to preserve the fragile global arms control order.
“We hope the United States will uphold the moratorium on nuclear testing and safeguard global strategic balance,” Mao told reporters in Beijing.
She urged the US to take “concrete action” to maintain the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime, including the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear explosions.
Mao reiterated that China “always embarks on a journey of peaceful development” and stands ready to cooperate with all nations to ensure nuclear restraint and global stability.
“We stand ready to work with all parties to uphold the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and uphold the non-proliferation regime and disarmament,” she added.
