China Rebuffs New U.S. Accusation on Nuclear Test-Site Activity
- Beijing calls American report ‘irresponsible, ill-intentioned’
- Trump administration says China maintaining use of facilities
A formation of Dongfeng-41 nuclear missiles takes part in a military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing, 2019.
Photographer: Xia Yifang/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Xia Yifang via Getty Images
China rebuffed a U.S. accusation that it had maintained activity at a nuclear weapons test site, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying the country was upholding its commitment to the international testing ban.
In a summary of an annual report assessing global arms-control agreements, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday that China “maintained a high level of activity” at its Lop Nur test site in the western region of Xinjiang. The report noted “possible preparations” to operate the site year-round and “concerns” that China wasn’t complying standards adhered to by the U.S., France and the U.K.