A new U.S. State Department report alleges that China may be cheating on its pledge to abstain from nuclear tests. The language of the report is nuanced, however, and the unclassified executive summary, all that mere mortals like you and I can read, points to Chinese activities that “raise concerns” about Beijing’s adherence to standards of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
This behavior assumes special significance as the United States deploys new nuclear weapons in the region, debates the deployment of new missiles in Asia and calls for China’s inclusion in new arms control measures.
Every year, the State Department releases a report on “Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments.” Its content is often controversial. Not only does it offend governments it calls out for violations, but its conclusions are frequently disputed within the arms control and nonproliferation communities as well, with each alleging that politics, rather than facts, are determining its conclusions. Last year’s report was widely criticized for letting political considerations shape its analysis.