By Ryan ChanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberChina said on Thursday that it has conducted the "smallest number" of nuclear tests among all nuclear-weapon states and has honored its moratorium on such activities for three decades.
The statement was released as the Chinese government published a white paper on arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation, following United States President Donald Trump's accusation that the country has tested its nuclear arsenal.
Why It Matters
China is one of nine nations with nuclear weapons, with an estimated 600 warheads in its arsenal, making it the world's third-largest nuclear power behind Russia and the U.S., according to a June report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China's nuclear weapons development has long concerned the U.S., which has warned that the East Asian power could possess more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. In September 2024, China test-fired an unarmed but nuclear-capable missile into the Pacific.
In late October, Trump announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to begin testing the nation's nuclear weapons on "an equal basis" with Russian and Chinese programs, claiming both countries "will be even" with the U.S. nuclear arsenal within five years.
Newsweek has contacted the Pentagon for comment on China's white paper by email.
...What To Know
In a white paper released by the State Council Information Office, China said it was one of the first countries to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, or CTBT, in September 1996, which bans all nuclear test explosions for any purpose.
"China has always honored its commitment to the moratorium on nuclear testing," the Chinese government document said, adding that Beijing has supported the early entry into force of the treaty and promoted domestic preparatory work for its implementation.
According to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, a body established upon the accord's entry into force, 187 countries have signed the CTBT, and 178 have ratified it. China, along with the nuclear-armed U.S., Russia and Israel, is among nine signatories that have not ratified the treaty.
The CTBT has yet to enter into force, as it requires ratification by China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the U.S., according to the Arms Control Association. Egypt and Iran are the only two countries not considered nuclear-armed.
The white paper also claimed that the number of tests demonstrates China's determination to avoid provoking a nuclear arms race, in addition to shutting related weapons research and production facilities, including those in Chongqing and Qinghai.
China's nuclear capabilities are maintained at the minimum level required for national security, the document said, under a stable, consistent and predictable policy.
Data provided by the Arms Control Association show that China conducted 45 nuclear test explosions between October 1964 and July 1996. By comparison, North Korea, India and Pakistan have carried out fewer tests, with six, three and two, respectively.
The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty recognizes only the U.S., Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom as nuclear-weapon states. Except for the U.K., which has conducted the same number of tests as China, the others have carried out far more.
...The Pentagon said in a report last year that China is expanding its nuclear warhead production infrastructure and may be preparing to operate its Lop Nur test site year-round, raising concerns about the lack of transparency in its testing activities.
What People Are Saying
China's Arms Control, Disarmament and Nonproliferation in the New Era white paper said: "China has always exercised the utmost restraint regarding the scale and development of its nuclear weapons. It never has and never will engage in any nuclear arms race with any other country in terms of level of expenditure, quantity, or scale of nuclear weapons."
The Pentagon's report on Chinese military power: "The [People's Republic of China, PRC] is establishing new nuclear materials production and reprocessing facilities very likely to support its nuclear force expansion…the PRC has rejected calls for a moratorium on production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons. It is likely that Beijing intends to produce nuclear warhead materials for its military in the near term."
What Happens Next
China is expected to continue developing its nuclear forces as its major adversary, the U.S., modernizes its capabilities. It remains to be seen whether China will publicize further tests of its nuclear-capable weapon systems without actual explosions.
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