China Conducted Nuclear Test Seven Days After Galwan Clash? Donald Trump Makes BIG Revelation

Washington: The United States has made a major revelation, publicly claiming for the first time that China conducted a secret nuclear test in 2020. This alleged test occurred at a time when India and China were engaged in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley and the entire world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are accusations against China? 

The accusation was made by US Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno on Friday during a United Nations disarmament conference in Geneva. Significantly, this claim comes at a time when the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia expired on February 5, and President Donald Trump wants to include China in any future nuclear arms agreements.

DiNanno stated in a social media post that the US possesses intelligence indicating that China conducted a secret nuclear test to evade detection by global monitoring agencies. According to the US official, China conducted one such test on June 22, 2020.

Why is the date significant? 

This date is significant because it comes just seven days after the violent clash between India and China in the Galwan Valley. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in this confrontation in eastern Ladakh. The clash was fought hand-to-hand because the use of firearms was prohibited in the area under an agreement between the two countries. China has never officially disclosed its casualties, but global reports suggest that China suffered more fatalities than India. This military standoff ended with an agreement in 2024.

It has now emerged that China may have conducted this alleged nuclear test at the Lop Nur site in the Xinjiang region, which is near the Indian border. According to a US official, China used a technique called decoupling.

In simple terms, this involves detonating the explosion in a large underground cavity so that the seismic waves are weakened and the test becomes difficult to detect. This method has long been known as a way to conceal nuclear tests.

In simpler terms, it is a technique in which the explosive is detonated in a large underground cavity so that the seismic waves are greatly weakened and suppressed. This is an old and classic method of concealing such explosion tests.

Dinano said that the US government is aware that China has conducted nuclear tests, including preparations for tests with yields of hundreds of tons. China used decoupling to conceal its activities from the world. China conducted one such nuclear test on June 22, 2020.

But why is this timing significant?

Although the US has not directly linked this nuclear test to the India-China border dispute, its timing is considered extremely sensitive. During that period, there was a heavy military buildup and aggressive activity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The confrontation between two nuclear-armed countries raised serious questions about regional stability.

Some geopolitical experts also believe that if China did indeed conduct such a test, its preparations would have been underway for months. In that case, the Galwan incident, which attracted worldwide attention, became a kind of "cover" for China, allowing it to conduct the nuclear test without attracting much attention.

China had to do all this secretly because it is a signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which prohibits nuclear explosive tests. However, neither China nor the US has yet ratified this treaty.

Why is the US concerned about China?

The United States has long been concerned about China's rapidly growing nuclear arsenal. China is believed to possess approximately 600 nuclear weapons. Last November, President Trump claimed that China and Pakistan were conducting nuclear tests, and based on this, he ordered the US military to prepare for renewed testing.

In an interview, Trump said that Russia was conducting tests and China was also conducting tests, but they weren't talking about it. This is why Trump wants China included in any future nuclear agreement with Russia. The expiration of the treaty that curbed the nuclear arms race during the Cold War has increased fears of a global arms race.

China's ambassador for disarmament, Shen Jian, neither directly confirmed nor denied Dinano's allegations. He said that China has always adopted a responsible attitude on nuclear issues. Shen Jian stated that China notes that the US is constantly exaggerating the so-called Chinese nuclear threat. China strongly opposes such false narratives. The real culprit for escalating the arms race is the United States.

Meanwhile, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), an international monitoring body, said that its monitoring system did not detect any nuclear activity in China during that period.