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According to US intelligence, China is reportedly working on a “new generation” of nuclear weapons, having allegedly carried out at least one undisclosed explosive test already.
Chinese efforts to enhance its nuclear arsenal, which currently includes approximately 600 active warheads, could signal a major shift in its nuclear strategy, US officials disclosed to CNN.
An anonymous US source informed the outlet, “They are developing a completely new generation of weapons, and they lack any existing database for them.”
China’s nuclear modernization, including a rumored clandestine test conducted in February, is being driven by substantial financial investments, the full scope of which remains unclear.
For the first time, China is also focusing on creating low-yield, tactical nuclear weapons, reportedly aiming to deploy them in scenarios where the US might militarily support Taiwan, as stated in the report.
China has already conducted an explosive nuclear test in June 2020 at the top secret Lop Nur Facility, which is located in the country’s bleak northwestern region.
That 2020 test was conducted despite a self-imposed moratorium that was implemented in 1996, CNN reported.
New information on that 2020 test confirmed US suspicions that China is advancing its nuclear program, officials in Washington said. That test registered an explosion of 2.75 on the Richter scale, according to Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw, who reviewed the additional data.
“I’ve looked at additional data since then,” Yeah said. “There is very little possibility I would say that it is anything but an explosion, a singular explosion.”
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, told CNN that the US has “distorted and smeared China’s nuclear policy.”