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Hours after Donald Trump ordered the US military to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, China on Thursday urged the US to “earnestly abide” by a global nuclear testing ban. In a statement, China’s Foreign Ministry called for the US to abide by its commitment to a moratorium on nuclear testing and uphold the global strategic balance and stability. “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 and nonproliferation system and safeguard global strategic balance and stability,” AFP quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Guo Jiakun, as saying. Trump made the surprise announcement on Truth Social while he was aboard his Marine One helicopter flying to meet Xi for a trade negotiating session in Busan, South Korea. He said he was instructing the Pentagon to test the US nuclear arsenal on an “equal basis” with other nuclear powers. “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump posted. “Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years,” his post read. No nuclear power, other than North Korea, has carried out explosive testing in more than 25 years. NUCLEAR TESTING SITES TO BE DETERMINED LATER Later, on his way back to Washington, Trump said testing was needed to ensure the US keeps up with its rival nuclear powers. “With others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also,” Trump said on board Air Force One, adding that nuclear test sites would be determined later. Asked whether the world was entering a more risky phase around nuclear weapons, Trump dismissed the threat, saying US stocks were “well locked up” before adding he would welcome denuclearisation. “I’d like to see a denuclearisation because we have so many and Russia’s second and China’s third and China will catch up within four or five years,” he said. “We are actually talking to Russia about that, and China would be added to that if we do something.” ALSO READ | ‘We Do Not Always See Eye To Eye’: China’s Xi Talks Of ‘Frictions’ As He Meets Trump In South Korea
