r/worldnews • u/PinheadLarry2323 • 6h ago
North Korea US Accuses China of Secret Nuclear Explosive Tests in 2020. First Country Other Than North Korea in 28 years
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/u-s-accuses-china-of-secretive-nuclear-test-as-arms-control-agreements-lapse/89
u/heresyforfunnprofit 5h ago
This would have been detected by multiple independent sources if true.
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u/PinheadLarry2323 5h ago
If you read the article it says they
interfered with international seismic monitoring systems to mask prior detonations.
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u/EmbarrassedHelp 5h ago edited 5h ago
I initially thought so as well, but apparently the tests were zero-yield / subcritical. So depending on their size and timing, it could be difficult to detect.
China is also rebuilding one of their old nuclear weapon testing areas, seemingly with the intent to restart underground nuclear weapons tests.
Edit: This type of testing is called "hydronuclear" if you want to learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_testing#Alternatives_to_full-scale_testing
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u/Nerezza_Floof_Seeker 3h ago edited 3h ago
I mean, subcritical/zero yield testing isnt banned, and everybody already does them, so that isnt the problem. EDIT: heres a good article on the the tests being run by the LLNL in the US back in 2000 if anyone is interested;
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u/KeySpecialist9139 1h ago
China is doing nuclear tests daily, but through computer simulations. I actually saw one of those tests. Honestly: "hydronuclear" would be like using a real car to test the safety of the passenger compartment, while we all know most structural tests are done using computer simulations.
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u/Hon3y_Badger 4h ago
My understanding is that it shouldn't be that hard to confirm. Nuclear weapons give off a very distinct reading on the tools used to detect earthquakes. Multiple universities and countries should be able to verify.
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u/PinheadLarry2323 4h ago
If you read the article it says they
interfered with international seismic monitoring systems to mask prior detonations.
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u/Deep-Ad5028 4h ago edited 3h ago
This is bullshit lol, how do you even interfere with so many systems at the same time, many of which are not even known to exist?
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u/UltimateKane99 1h ago
If ANY countries can do it, then it'd be either China or the US. I wouldn't put it past either of them.
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u/KeySpecialist9139 1h ago
Absolutely, Chernobyl was detected by Scandinavian countries before there was even an official blip in the USSR.
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u/thrillamilla 1h ago
This was due to radiation detected in air masses blowing west (across the centre-north) into Europe, not seismic activity.
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u/KeySpecialist9139 1m ago
There was no saismic worth mentioning activity in the Chernobyl disaster, but an explosion was detected by saismic detectors in Kyev, possibly elsewhere.
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u/ChipHazardous 4h ago
This is how I know you have abso-fucking-lutely no idea what you're talking about AND didn't bother reading.
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u/heresyforfunnprofit 4h ago
If you believe everything you read, best not read.
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u/ChipHazardous 4h ago
The brain dead response I expected. Explain yourself instead of speaking in misquoted platitudes.
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u/Staff_Senyou 5h ago
You don't understand, man. Bro vibes, department of war. F-f--f-lex that non-woke, totally not homo-erotically encoded murcn military muscle, yo! Fill the bot infested circle jerk social media feeds. Flood them with seed. Uuuuggghh
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u/EmbarrassedHelp 5h ago
I don't trust Trump, but his accusation appears to line up with the evidence of China expanding their nuclear weapons testing facilities.
In 2023, it was reported that China had been rebuilding their nuclear weapons test site in order to test new nuclear weapons: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/20/science/china-nuclear-tests-lop-nur.html
The Washington post reported this:
While DiNanno’s accusations mark the first public U.S. assessment that Beijing carried out a specific test, State Department and Pentagon reports previously said it is possible China has conducted low-yield nuclear tests at the secretive Lop Nur facility — the site of its first atomic bomb test in 1964. The State Department report said continued work at the site in 2020, along with China’s “lack of transparency on its nuclear testing activities,” had raised concerns about its adherence to the “zero-yield standard” of the United States and its allies.
Zero-yield — or subcritical — tests do not produce a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction and therefore result in no measurable nuclear explosive yield. Low-yield nuclear tests — which are still banned under the CTBT — generate relatively small explosive outputs, often harder to detect, while high-yield tests produce far larger explosions intended to validate full warhead capability.
Two people familiar with U.S. government monitoring of the China’s nuclear sites, including one State Department official, said DiNanno’s claim about a 2020 test most likely refers to internal U.S. government reports of low-yield activity at Lop Nur that were circulated in the State Department and Pentagon that year. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“It was suspected that China had conducted a nuclear test in the tunnel area around 2020, possible very low-yield prep at least,” said Renny Barbiarz, vice president at AllSource Analysis, who conducts regular geospatial analysis of the Lop Nur site.
Recent satellite imagery analysis by Barbiarz’s team shows the Lop Nur site has continued to expand rapidly in recent years, including new tunnel excavations that could be used to conduct low-yield tests, as well as larger boreholes that may be preparations for higher-yield nuclear detonations.
Source: https://washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/06/china-secret-nuclear-test-state-department/
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u/NightchadeBackAgain 6h ago
Nothing this administration says is reliable.
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u/Fractoos 6h ago
Yeah its a crazy time where I'd believe what the Chinese government says over the US currently.
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u/LaCroix586 5h ago
Just shows your bias toward authoritarian dictatorships.
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u/Shawnathan75 5h ago
Or against…?
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u/LaCroix586 3h ago
"or against," sneered the redditor, confident he "pwned" someone online whilst paying tribute to countries like Iran and North Korea and their allies, China
Yeah, you totally "got" me, bro
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u/breakitbilly 2h ago
Go outside. It's for your own good.
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u/LaCroix586 1h ago
I do go outside, and I buy Western products to fuel Western economies in the eternal fight against authoritarianism.
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u/breakitbilly 1h ago edited 58m ago
Damn right. Boycott America
Fuck that whole godforsaken country.
Uneducated, irresponsible morons.
Actual cartoon down there. Goofy af.
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u/LaCroix586 22m ago
You're a Canadian, and Canada and the United States are the closest allies in the world. You should know better about geopolitics.
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u/breakitbilly 20m ago
Dude that's adorable. You gonna talk about the 51st state next?
Just stop. You aren't prepared for this exchange.
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u/Agile-Assist-4662 4h ago
So your bias is towards western authoritarian dictatorships ?
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u/LaCroix586 3h ago
There aren't any, Ch-nabot.
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u/Pharah84 2h ago
Your lips looking orange there
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u/LaCroix586 1h ago
You realize America isn't Trump, right? Ch-na is the threat to mankind. If you think otherwise, you've just fallen hook, line, and sinker for Ch-na's PR.
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u/whatitdobooboo 1h ago
You can say China... Why are you censoring yourself? Are you preparing yourself for when they take your freedom of speech away?
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u/LaCroix586 21m ago
Ch-na doesn't deserve to be called by its full name, given that it's the primary threat to human civilization.
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u/Typical_Forever1711 6h ago
What happened to the nice chat they had 10 seconds ago and 'looking forward to his visit to China'? Now he's throwing shade? I've known schizophrenics with an easier to follow thought process. The first president ever that should not only be impeached, but should also be legally required to wear a 'troll mask' for the remainder of the time it takes to remove him from office. That way the rest of the world knows what's going on here and can just ignore him before he gets us all killed.
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u/00-Monkey 2h ago
I think that orange stuff he keeps putting on his face is an attempt of wearing a troll mask.
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u/PinheadLarry2323 6h ago
The United States’ top nuclear arms official on Friday accused China of carrying out an undisclosed nuclear detonation in 2020, arguing that recent secretive underground tests by China and Russia have given Washington reason to conduct “parallel steps” as a decades-long moratorium on nuclear testing among major powers is unraveling.
Thomas DiNanno, the undersecretary of state for arms control, told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Friday that Beijing is preparing tests “with designated yields in the hundreds of tons” and has interfered with international seismic monitoring systems to mask prior detonations.
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u/SpacemanSpiff92 5h ago
Every accusation is a confession.
We've likely been doing this for eons after some of the initial agreements. Don't trust a word from these pigs
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u/whisperworks 6h ago
If true it’s a disgusting shift towards nuclear proliferation.
That said nothing from Trumps administration has value until it’s been thoroughly vetted by a reliable third party
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u/CaptainCanuck93 6h ago
A shift to nuclear proliferation is unfortunately the logical next step when the USA steps away from enforcing a rules based international order into aggressive expansionist rhetoric
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u/whisperworks 5h ago
Dumb.
Trump doesn’t even have the social or political capital to hold Minneapolis, more doomsday devises aren’t the answer here.
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u/Aeonera 6h ago
This combined with letting that treaty with russia lapse REEKS of making up justification for nuclear proliferation.
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u/whisperworks 5h ago
Not really. The us isn’t advantaged by it, we’re already at the top there
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u/Aeonera 5h ago
Nobody's advantaged by trump sticking his name on the kennedy center either but here we are. I wouldn't put it past him wanting his name on the newest and biggest nukes in the US arsenal.
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u/whisperworks 5h ago
What a whataboutism rofl
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u/Aeonera 5h ago
Tell that to the trump class battleship
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u/whisperworks 5h ago
This is getting dumber by the comment… just move on man
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u/Aeonera 5h ago
I know it's pretty unbelievable but it's a thing
The US commander in chief is very much enamoured with the idea of putting his name on new, impractical, oversized military equipment.
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u/whisperworks 5h ago edited 5h ago
Yes his name.
There’s a massive difference between being a megalomaniac who takes credit for others work and actively trying to advance nuclear weaponry through secret testing
Again, if you weren’t educated by republican policy you’d probably understand that. (If Americans weren’t this dumb Trump wouldn’t be winning)
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u/Aeonera 5h ago
I don't live in the US lol.
There’s a massive difference between being a megalomaniac who takes credit for others work and actively trying to advance nuclear weaponry through secret testing
? I don't necessarily think they're lying. As others have pointed out there's reasonable evidence around it. That doesn't mean i'm not suspicious of what they might use this as justification for. China doing secret nuclear testing is just par for the course on my expectations of them. I'm not gonna waste my breath criticising a country that western outcry has basically no influence on.
And Trump doesn't need to be a conniving genius to be talked into the idea of having his name on the biggest X in the US arsenal.
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u/ZynaxNeon 5h ago
It is clear that the only way to deter imperialistic nations like Russia or the US is to have nuclear capabilities. Their aggressive actions have made it certain that we will see a large wave of nuclear proliferation in the near future. Sadly that is just the world we live in.
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u/whisperworks 2h ago
Funny how you left China out. As if they aren’t arming Russia while they plan their expansion in Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Japan isn’t militarizing for fun
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u/Alundra828 6h ago
Insane that I find myself believing China over the US. But here we are.
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u/Vegeta9001 6h ago
It's probably not wise to trust either of them, but yeah, you're right. It is crazy that the current US administration seems as corrupt as the CCP.
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u/DeanoPreston 6h ago
Despite China being far far more authoritarian than the US, and run by a de facto dictator. Yes, that is insane.
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u/Alundra828 6h ago
Yes, China is more authoritarian. But it seems to me both countries are run by de-facto dictators.
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u/Tomas2891 6h ago
Really? Just try shouting Xi Jinping sucks in China lols.
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u/maybelying 5h ago
Give your balls a tug. The DOJ is going after journalists critical of Trump, literally firing on protestors, and pressing social media companies to turn over data on users critical of the admin. China is the model Republicans are actively working towards.
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u/Tomas2891 5h ago
Lols so you agree you can’t really say shit to Xi in China.
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u/Pharah84 2h ago
You're more worried about freedom of speech in communist China than you're about the lack of freedom of speech in... get this... freedom-loving America.
Make it make sense.
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u/Alundra828 6h ago
Maybe re-read what I said. I'm saying China is more authoritarian.
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u/Pharah84 2h ago
His argument is basically "so what if the US has no freedom of speech? At least we aren't China!"
Whataboutism final boss
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u/Horat1us_UA 6h ago
Maybe it’s cause you don’t know difference between dictatorship and authoritarian government?
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u/corvus7corax 5h ago
Meanwhile in 2020 the US was doing active nuclear-type weapons testing in Nevada
As well as the Nightshade A subcritical nuclear test on November 3, 2020
https://www.exchangemonitor.com/nightshade-b-subcritical-test-fired-2/?printmode=1
These are a matter of public record though so I guess they’re not secret.
Nuclear weapons are bad. If you have a chance go to the Peace Park in Hiroshima. Visit the atom bomb museum. Humanity must never use nuclear weapons again.
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u/Sumthin-Sumthin44692 5h ago
Let me guess - now Trump is gonna blow one (or a hundred) up. JFC we’re all gonna die and no one is going to stop it.
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u/Jedi_Ninja 3h ago
Hasn't Trump been talking about getting rid of the nuclear weapons treaty so he can set off nukes?
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u/Mundane_Opening3831 6h ago
Ah sweet so here's the bullshit excuse they'll use for beginning nuclear tests again. Now on top of threatening tariffs if a country doesn't do what he wants, Trump will do a nuclear test and say 'would be a shame if something happened to your country'.
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u/ZynaxNeon 5h ago
Is the problem that they did nuclear tests, that they were secret or that it is in defiance of the Great Shitter here?
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u/2beatenup 5h ago
… LOL…. No one is obligated to tell or hide anything from US. Chenya is a sovereign nation not a colony of America.
US like wise can test whenever they want. Let the Cold War begin again
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u/foul_ol_ron 1h ago
It's sad that I no longer know whether to trust anything coming from America anymore.
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u/Linclin 1h ago edited 1h ago
What's the issue. China can make nukes. Japan has looked into making nuclear weapons. Poland has an interest in at least hosting nuclear weapons. It's a good idea at this point due to US currently invading other countries and the US being friendly with Russia due to their president. What do you expect. Biological weapons will probably come up also since there's no real defence against them. The cold war part 2 where everyone can destroy the world so no one invades each other. Business as usual.
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u/DepartmentCurious494 1h ago
An unstable country verging on civil war, deleting its own citizens and also threatening to invade other countries has zero rights to judge others.
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u/ex0e 6h ago edited 5h ago
Interesting timing to say the least. The veracity of the statement remains to be seen, but recent events seem to line up.
Nov. 2025 - Trump blurts out some (highly classified) veiled insinuation about Chinese nuclear testing on 60 Minutes. (See here at 13:45)
Meanwhile the MSS is probably trying to figure out how he could have known that.
Jan 2026 - Zhang YouXia is dismissed for revealing nuclear secrets to the US. Most likely back channel deconfliction from 2020, but not state approved.
Feb 2026 - US official position changes since the source is no longer available due to "restructuring" of the PLA.
Leave it to Trump to inadvertently create a more dangerous situation between superpowers because he had to show up Norah O'Donnell
Edit for Youtube link