According to Reuters, Christopher Yeo stated at a meeting in Washington that the recorded underground tremors with a magnitude of 2.75, which occurred 750 kilometers from China's Lop Nur test site, were likely caused by an underground explosion rather than a natural earthquake. "This is nothing like an earthquake. This is what you would expect from a nuclear test," he noted, emphasizing his expertise in nuclear engineering and intelligence.
Christopher Yeo also added that, in his opinion, China is trying to conceal the facts of the testing by using a method in which the explosive device is detonated in a large underground chamber, which helps reduce the amplitude of the shock waves.
Meanwhile, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization expressed doubt about the possibility of confirming Yeo's claims due to a lack of data.
In response to the accusations, a representative of the Chinese embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, called them "completely unfounded" and stated that the U.S. is trying to create a pretext to resume its own testing. He characterized this as political manipulation aimed at achieving nuclear hegemony and evading commitments to nuclear disarmament.
Liu urged the U.S. to reaffirm its commitment to the ban on nuclear testing and take concrete steps to protect the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
In light of these events, U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring China to participate in negotiations regarding the replacement of the New START treaty — an agreement between the U.S. and Russia concerning the limitation of strategic nuclear arms, which expired on February 5.
