US Offers Nuclear-Test Inspections to Ease Russia, China Tension
- Nuclear administrator looks to open test site for observation
- Move seeks to defuse rising atomic tensions with China, Russia
Jennifer Granholm speaks during the 67th International Atomic Energy Agency's General Conference on September 25.
Photographer: Alex Halada/AFP/Getty ImagesThe US Department of Energy said it’s willing to prove its engineers aren’t breaking a three-decade moratorium against testing nuclear weapons, in a bid to encourage China and Russia to be more transparent and defuse military tensions.
The offer to allow international observers to witness sensitive US weapons-related tests, floated on the sidelines of an International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna this week, comes at a critical moment for arms control. Earlier this year, Vladimir Putin withdrew Russia from its last agreement with the US that limited nuclear arsenals and Pentagon officials are increasingly on edge about China’s expanding stockpile of fissile material.