China has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State Department

The United States on Monday accused China of dramatically swelling its nuclear arsenal and doubled down on claims that Beijing had conducted secret nuclear tests, demanding again it be part of any future arms control treaty. Washington said the lapsing earlier this month of New Start – the last treaty between top nuclear powers the United States and Russia – presented the possibility of striking a “better agreement” including Beijing. Christopher Yeaw, the US assistant secretary of state for... AdvertisementUS-China relationsWorldUnited States & CanadaChina has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State DepartmentBeijing’s UN ambassador Shen Jian said China opposes the smearing of its nuclear policy and ‘would not engage in any nuclear arms race’Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPAgence France-PressePublished: 4:48am, 24 Feb 2026The United States on Monday accused China of dramatically swelling its nuclear arsenal and doubled down on claims that Beijing had conducted secret nuclear tests, demanding again it be part of any future arms control treaty.Washington said the lapsing earlier this month of New Start – the last treaty between top nuclear powers the United States and Russia – presented the possibility of striking a “better agreement” including Beijing.Christopher Yeaw, the US assistant secretary of state for arms control and non-proliferation, told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva that New Start had been seriously flawed and “did not account for the unprecedented, deliberate, rapid and opaque nuclear weapons build-up by China”.Advertisement“Despite its claims to the contrary, China has deliberately and without constraint, massively expanded its nuclear arsenal without transparency or any indication of China’s intent or end point,” he charged.In response, Chinese United Nations ambassador Shen Jian told the conference: “The US has made groundless accusations that China has conducted a nuclear test.” He added that Beijing “firmly opposes the constant distortion and smearing of its nuclear policy by certain countries”.AdvertisementYeaw said US officials “believe China may achieve parity within the next four or five years”, without elaborating on what he meant by parity.AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x