US eyes nuclear testing to match Russia and China

WEB DESK: The United States has indicated it is prepared to resume low-yield nuclear testing for the first time in more than three decades, potentially ending a longstanding moratorium, in response to what it alleges are covert nuclear explosions conducted by China and Russia.

According to AFP, addressing an event on Tuesday at the Hudson Institute in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Nonproliferation Christopher Yeaw said the United States would resume testing “on an equal basis”, reiterating comments previously made by President Donald Trump in October.

US hints at limited, parity-based nuclear test

Yeaw emphasised that any renewed testing would be limited in scope and intended to ensure strategic parity, rather than a revival of the large-scale atmospheric detonations that marked the Cold War era.

“As the president has said, the United States will return to testing on an quote ‘equal basis’,” Yeaw said. “Equal basis, however, presumes a response to a prior standard. Look no further than China or Russia for that standard.”

He clarified that Washington would not pursue massive atmospheric explosions such as the 1952 Ivy Mike detonation, but could undertake controlled, low-yield activities if deemed necessary. No timeline was offered, with Yeaw noting that the final decision rests with the president.

The remarks come against the backdrop of heightened nuclear tensions following the expiration of the New START treaty on February 5, 2026. The accord had been the last remaining bilateral arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, capping deployed strategic nuclear warheads and their delivery systems.

President Trump has repeatedly called for a new trilateral arrangement that would also include China, arguing that the previous framework constrained Washington and Moscow while leaving Beijing outside its limits.

Yeaw reiterated longstanding US allegations that both China and Russia have conducted covert nuclear tests in breach of the zero-yield standard associated with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) moratorium, which the United States has observed since its last nuclear test in 1992.

He provided additional details of a suspected Chinese test on June 22, 2020, at the Lop Nur site in north-west China. Referring to seismic data from a monitoring station in Kazakhstan that recorded a 2.75-magnitude event consistent with what he described as a “singular explosion”, Yeaw characterised it as a “yield-producing” nuclear test.

“There is very little possibility that it is anything other than an explosion,” he said, adding that US assessments suggest China has undertaken preparations for nuclear yields in the hundreds-of-tonnes range.

China, Russia reject claims as fears of renewed arms race grow

Beijing has previously dismissed such allegations as “outright lies”, while Moscow has similarly rejected accusations of non-compliance. Both governments have resisted US calls to join a new trilateral arms control framework.

Although no formal announcement has been made regarding the resumption of US testing, Yeaw’s remarks mark the clearest indication yet that the Trump administration is prepared to match what it views as strategic advances by its rivals.

The prospect of renewed nuclear testing is likely to heighten international concerns about a potential arms race and the further erosion of global non-proliferation norms.