The Trump administration engaged in informal discussions with China concerning its rapidly growing nuclear arsenal, driven by doubts regarding Beijing's adherence to a 30-year nuclear test ban. US officials highlighted that China has been undertaking what military leaders have described as the most rapid and extensive strategic nuclear weapons buildup since the Cold War, with its nuclear stockpile significantly increasing. A four-star strategic forces commander characterized this as a nuclear arms "break out" necessitating an urgent US response.
Adding to these concerns, the United States formally accused China of conducting a secret nuclear test in 2020. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno stated that the US government was aware China had carried out nuclear explosive tests, including preparing for tests with designated yields in the hundreds of tons. He specifically cited a yield-producing nuclear test on June 22, 2020, and alleged that China sought to conceal these tests to circumvent test ban commitments.
The US has been pushing for a broader nuclear weapons agreement that would include China, particularly after the lapsing of the New Start treaty between the US and Russia. Christopher Yeaw, US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, criticized New Start for not accounting for China's "unprecedented, deliberate, rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup." Beijing, however, firmly opposes what it calls constant distortion and smearing of its nuclear policies, maintaining its claims of transparency.
