US Accuses China of Dramatically Expanding Nuclear Arsenal, Demands Inclusion in Future Arms Control Treaties

Washington on Monday accused China of dramatically expanding its nuclear arsenal. Reiterating claims that Beijing conducted secret nuclear tests, Washington stated that China must be part of any future arms control treaty.

Washington stated earlier this month that the implementation of the 'New START' treaty between the US and Russia presented the possibility for the world to achieve a 'better agreement' that includes Beijing.

China has publicly rejected calls to enter negotiations for a new tripartite treaty.

Christopher Yeou, US Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Disarmament, told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that 'New START' was seriously flawed and that there was no accounting for China's unprecedented, deliberately rapid, and opaque nuclear weapons buildup.

He stated, "Despite China's denials, it has deliberately and without restraint expanded its nuclear arsenal without transparency."

He added, "US government officials believe that China could achieve parity in the next four or five years without clarifying what 'parity' means."

According to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning campaign group ICAN, both Russia and the US possess more than 5,000 nuclear weapons.

However, the 'New START' agreement, which ended on February 5, limited the US and Russia to 1,550 nuclear weapons each. Washington has been claiming that China is rapidly approaching this number and that a new nuclear treaty must be tripartite.

"Beijing is on track to accumulate enough fissile material for more than 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030," Yeou said.