BUSAN, South Korea: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Oct 30) ordered the US navy to instantly resume testing nuclear weapons for the primary time in 33 years, minutes earlier than starting a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump made the shock announcement on Reality Social whereas he was aboard his Marine One helicopter flying to satisfy Xi for a commerce negotiating session in Busan, South Korea. He stated he was instructing the Pentagon to check the US nuclear arsenal on an “equal foundation” with different nuclear powers.
“Due to different nations’ testing packages, I’ve instructed the Division of Struggle to start out testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal foundation. That course of will start instantly,” Trump posted.
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, however will likely be even inside 5 years.”
He didn’t elaborate and didn’t reply to a reporter’s shouted query about his put up after his preliminary remarks to Xi. It was not instantly clear whether or not Trump was referring to nuclear-explosive testing, which might be carried out by the Nationwide Nuclear Security Administration, or flight testing of nuclear-capable missiles.
CHINA MORE THAN DOUBLED NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN LAST 5 YEARS
Trump’s resolution to restart nuclear weapons testing follows a fast growth by China of its nuclear stockpile lately, and got here simply after Russia introduced what it known as a successful test of a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile as well as a nuclear-powered torpedo.
Trump addressed the Russian strikes aboard Air Pressure One earlier this week, telling reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin ought to be working to finish the conflict in Ukraine “as a substitute of testing missiles”.
Beijing has greater than doubled the scale of its arsenal to an estimated 600 nuclear weapons in 2025 from 300 weapons in 2020, in accordance with the Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research, a Washington-based assume tank.
It stated US navy officers estimate that China could have over 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. A Victory Day parade in September revealed 5 nuclear capabilities that may all attain the continental United States, CSIS stated.
