China warns of increased risk of nuclear conflict after Trump's order for tests.
China is sounding the alarm about nuclear war on the occasion of US plans to resume nuclear weapons tests, emphasizing that the arms race could lead to a new, unpredictable era of geopolitical tension. Beijing warns that the expansion of nuclear arsenals dramatically increases the risk of conflict, while relations between the two superpowers dangerously flirt with a strategic confrontation.
"Some countries continue to adjust their nuclear policies, stubbornly insisting on maintaining huge nuclear arsenals, strengthening nuclear deterrence and combat capabilities, thus increasing the risk of a global nuclear conflict," the State Council Information Office stated in a white paper on arms control published today, Thursday (27/11/2025).
The publication of the document follows US President Donald Trump's commitment to respond to adversaries by resuming nuclear weapons tests, after Russia's recent announcement of tests of a nuclear-powered underwater drone and a nuclear-capable cruise missile. He added that the US would conduct such tests "very soon."
Trump's moves
It is not clear whether Trump meant the detonation of nuclear warheads—something that would reverse decades of US policy and violate a de facto global ban—or merely the expansion of tests of launch systems, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. It is pointed out that the only country known to have tested nuclear bomb designs in the 21st century is North Korea, with the last test in 2017.
In 2019, the US withdrew from a Cold War-era nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia, saying that Moscow had violated it by producing banned missiles. Trump argued that the agreement was flawed because it did not include China, a rising nuclear power.
Although China has a smaller arsenal of nuclear warheads than the US and Russia, it is rapidly increasing and modernizing it, according to US government assessments. China last conducted a nuclear bomb test in 1996, but continues to test missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including an ICBM last year, as well as hypersonic warheads that use high speeds and maneuvers to avoid interception.
Trump's "Golden Dome"
In the white paper, Beijing reiterated that it has pursued an "extremely restrained" approach to nuclear weapons development and that it will never engage in a nuclear arms race. The supreme body of China's ruling party stated in October that it plans to "expand strategic deterrence capabilities"—a term that includes nuclear forces—within the next five years.
The white paper also criticized "certain countries" for promoting missile defense systems, such as the Trump-envisioned "Golden Dome," which aims to protect the American homeland not only from limited attacks by "rogue states," but also from massive strikes by countries like Russia and China. Critics have stated that the "Golden Dome" is technically almost impossible to implement.
Washington and Seoul are also in private negotiations to jointly build nuclear-powered submarines for both fleets, according to Bloomberg News. Admiral Daryl Caudle, head of US naval operations, said the submarines could help counter the rapidly expanding Chinese fleet.
www.bankingnews.gr
Σχόλια αναγνωστών