“China hopes the United States will earnestly abide by the obligations of the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty and its commitment to a ban on nuclear testing, and take concrete actions to safeguard the global nuclear disarmament,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday.
Beijing’s statement comes in response to US President Donald Trump pledging to resume nuclear testing to keep pace with Russian and Chinese arsenals.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” wrote Trump in a social media post.
Trump’s announcement followed news that Russia had tested a nuclear capable underwater drone this week.
The US signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which bans all atomic test blasts — both military and civilian — in 1996.
The US conducted two nuclear attacks on Japan during World War II and over 1,000 nuclear tests until a September 1992 moratorium initiated by George H. W. Bush.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing and Washington have reached a consensus on economic and trade priorities after a meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump.
Xi told Trump China and the US should not fall into a “vicious cycle of retaliation” against each other, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
The meeting in Busan, South Korea, came amid ongoing trade tensions between the two superpowers, which have disrupted global supply chains.
Urging for long-term interest of cooperation, Xi told Trump there is a need for both sides to “refine and finalize follow-up work as soon as possible, maintain and implement the consensus and provide tangible results to set minds at ease about the economies of China, the United States and the world,” the Chinese state media reported.