US accuses China of massively expanding nuclear arsenal

The US has accused China of dramatically expanding its nuclear arsenal and of carrying out secret nuclear tests. Christopher Yeaw, the US assistant secretary of state for arms control and non-proliferation, told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that New Start had been seriously flawed and 'did not account for the unprecedented, deliberate, rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup by China.' He added that 'Despite its claims to the contrary, China has deliberately and without constraint, massively expanded its nuclear arsenal without transparency or any indication of China’s intent or end point.' New Start, which expired on 5 February, restricted the US and Russia to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads each; Washington says Russia has passed that limit and that China is fast approaching.

Yeaw said the treaty's lapse presented the possibility of striking a 'better agreement' that included Beijing and warned that Beijing is on track to have the fissile material necessary for more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.

China, Geneva

china, nuclear arsenal, secret tests, new start, christopher yeaw, arms control, non-proliferation, fissile material, deployed warheads, geneva