Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that Pakistan and China are among several countries currently testing nuclear weapons, as he defended his administration’s plans to restart nuclear testing after more than three decades.
Speaking to CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on Sunday, Trump named Russia, China, North Korea and Pakistan as nations engaged in nuclear tests. “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We talk about it. We’re gonna test, because they test and others test,” he said. “And certainly North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan’s been testing,” he added.
The announcement follows Trump’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. Shortly before that meeting, Trump said on social media that the United States would resume nuclear testing “on an equal basis” with rival powers — marking the first such move since 1992.
Trump claimed that some countries carry out underground tests in secret. “They don’t go and tell you about it. You don’t necessarily know where they’re testing,” he said. His remarks came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Russia had tested Russia and North Korea testing nuclear weapons the Poseidon nuclear-capable super torpedo.
Defending his decision, Trump said testing was essential to ensure the reliability of America’s nuclear arsenal. “They test, and we don’t test. We have to test. Russia did make a little bit of a threat the other day when they said they were gonna do certain forms of a different level of testing. But Russia tests, China does test, and we’re gonna test also,” he stated. “You make nuclear weapons, and then you don’t test. How are you gonna know if they work?”
While the US military continues to test missile delivery systems, it has not detonated a nuclear device since 1992, according to American media reports.
In the same interview, Trump also reiterated his claim of having mediated in several global disputes, including between India and Pakistan. “I’ve solved eight wars,” he said, naming conflicts such as Cambodia-Thailand, Kosovo-Serbia, and India-Pakistan. He added that tariffs had been instrumental in achieving peace in some cases.
India, however, maintains that its ceasefire understanding with Pakistan was reached through direct military-level talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both sides.