• The US accuses China of massively expanding its nuclear arsenal and conducting secret tests.
• China is expected to achieve nuclear parity with the US within four to five years, according to US officials.
• The expiration of the New START treaty raises fears of a renewed arms race.
• The US calls for China to be part of any future arms control negotiations.
• China denies the allegations and insists it won't engage in a nuclear arms race.

On Monday, the United States accused China of dramatically swelling its nuclear arsenal and claimed that Beijing has engaged in secret nuclear tests. Washington demanded that China be included in any future arms control treaty discussions, emphasizing the opportunity presented by the expiration of the New START treaty earlier this month. Christopher Yeaw, the US assistant secretary of state for arms control, described the New START treaty as "seriously flawed," as it did not address China's nuclear build-up adequately, stating, "China has deliberately and without constraint, massively expanded its nuclear arsenal without transparency," according to Channel News Asia, India Times, and South China Morning Post.

Yeaw warned that China is on track to possess enough fissile material for over 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, potentially achieving parity with the US within the next four or five years. He noted that the expiration of New START marks the first time in decades without any treaty constraining nuclear arsenals, intensifying concerns of a new arms race. The former treaty had limited the US and Russia to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads each, a target that the US claims China is rapidly approaching, according to Channel News Asia and India Times.

In response to the US accusations, China's UN ambassador Shen Jian asserted that Beijing would not engage in any nuclear arms race, emphasizing that its nuclear capabilities are not comparable to those of the major nuclear powers. He called the allegations "groundless" and "a distortion" of China's nuclear policy, asserting that the country opposes the push for trilateral negotiations on arms control, as reported by South China Morning Post.

Yeaw also noted that the lapse of New START allows the US to pursue "a better agreement" toward a world with fewer nuclear weapons. He accused Russia of aiding Beijing's arsenal growth and reiterated that the United States is committed to arms control, despite the absence of treaties, calling for a new framework that includes China, as stated in Channel News Asia, India Times, and South China Morning Post.