The United States escalated its pressure on Beijing by releasing detailed seismic data that allegedly proves China conducted a clandestine, low-yield underground nuclear test in June 2020. At a Hudson Institute event, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw revealed that a remote seismic station in Kazakhstan detected a magnitude 2.75 explosion on June 22, 2020, originating from the Lop Nur test site in western China. Yeaw asserted the data is inconsistent with earthquakes or mining blasts, suggesting China used a “decoupling” technique, detonating in a large underground cavity to muffle the seismic signature and evade detection.
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw revealed new details of an alleged Chinese underground nuclear test in June 2020, stating seismic data indicated an explosion not consistent with mining or earthquakes.
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The timing of this revelation is critical, following the February 5 expiration of the New START treaty between the U.S. and Russia. President Donald Trump has used these allegations to justify calls for a trilateral arms deal including China, while some in Washington are now advocating for a resumption of U.S. nuclear testing for the first time since 1992. However, the CTBTO (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization) stated that the current data is insufficient to definitively confirm a nuclear explosion, noting that the recorded signal was extremely weak.
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China has dismissed the claims as “entirely unfounded” and “political manipulation.” Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu accused the U.S. of fabricating excuses to restart its own nuclear testing and pursue “nuclear hegemony.”
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