No secret nuclear tests by Russia or China, Kremlin says

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Wednesday that neither China nor Russia has carried out ‌secret nuclear tests, noting Beijing had denied US accusations that it ‌had done so.

The United States ⁠this ​month accused China ​of conducting ‌a secret nuclear test in 2020 ​as it called for a new, broader arms control treaty that would ⁠bring in China as well as Russia.

"We've ‌heard many references to certain tests. Both the Russian Federation and China have been mentioned ⁠in this regard. Neither ⁠the Russian Federation nor ​China ‌has conducted any nuclear tests," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"We also know that these allegations were categorically denied by a representative of the People's Republic of China, ⁠so that's the situation," added Peskov.

US President Donald ⁠Trump is pressing China to join the US and Russia to negotiate a replacement pact to New START, the last US-Russian nuclear arms control agreement
which expired on February 5.

The treaty's expiration ⁠has fuelled concerns among some experts ​that the world is on the verge of an accelerated nuclear arms race, though other arms control experts say ​such fears are exaggerated.