<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>China is undergoing a "massive expansion" of its </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/weapons" rel="" target="" title="nuclear arsenal"><span>nuclear arsenal</span></a><span> that could see it reach parity with the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/usa" rel="" target="_blank" title="United States"><span>United States</span></a><span> within the next four or five years, a US official has warned.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Christopher Yeaw, US Assistant Secretary, also claims </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/china" rel="" target="" title="China"><span>China</span></a><span> has been carrying out nuclear testing since at least 2020.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Yeaw was speaking at the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/un" rel="" target="_blank" title="UN"><span>UN</span></a><span> Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, the first carried out since the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/new-start-nuclear-treaty-us-russia-to-expire-february-5-what-you-need-to-know/b1836ec1-4c19-4bd4-89d1-40b690dc5be2" rel="" target="_blank" title="expiration of the New START treaty"><span>expiration of the New START treaty</span></a><span> between the USA and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/russia" rel="" target="_blank" title="Russia"><span>Russia</span></a><span> earlier this month.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>NATIONAL:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/trump-tower-on-gold-coast-australia-petitions-launched-in-response/83f92312-b767-4d78-8530-7c6e87046dc0" target="_blank"><strong><span>Design for Trump's first tower resort in Australia revealed</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That treaty, whilst limiting the stockpile of nuclear weapons those countries could hold, did not cover China.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Yeaw said this was its "biggest flaw" and is something Beijing has taken advantage of.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"New START did not account for the unprecedented, deliberate, rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup by China," he said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/usa-china-nuclear-weapons-russia-new-start-treaty/672d651e-b26c-4359-8f7d-4c91ee8266d8" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"[China] has deliberately, and without constraint, massively expanded its nuclear arsenal," Yeaw added, saying he believed China would "reach parity" with the United States "in the next four to five years".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>China currently has 600 nuclear warheads, with the United States and Russia having over 5000 according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LATEST:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/chris-baghsarian-remains-found-in-search-for-missing-grandfather-sydney/66bdff80-d78a-4f28-974f-a9b31bf840be" target="_blank"><strong><span>Human remains found in search for kidnapped Sydney grandfather</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Yeaw claimed China only had around 200 nuclear weapons when the New START treaty was signed in 2010, but claims it now has the necessary material to make an additional 2000 nuclear warheads by 2030.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also gave more information on nuclear testing conducted by China in 2020.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On June 22, 2020, an explosion was detected at the Lop Nur underground site in western China as a magnitude 2.75 seismic event.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It was a probable explosion based upon comparisons between historic explosions and earthquakes," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The seismic signals were indicative of a single fire explosion, not typical of mining explosions."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He claimed China hadn't been cooperative with the international community as it tried to monitor its nuclear testing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/dr-simon-gordon-the-epworth-surgeon-accused-of-unnecessary-surgery/78c039bf-57ae-43d6-aa43-371ba09d404d" target="_blank"><strong><span>Prominent surgeon accused of performing unnecessary endometriosis surgeries</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Yeaw also criticised the recently lapsed treaty for allowing Russia to stockpile up to 2000 'non-strategic' nuclear weapons, and claimed Russia flagrantly violated it on multiple occasions since 2022.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Russia violated the treaty from 2022… stopped implementing the treaty, and likely exceeded New START's limits at various times over the past few years," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>US President </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/donald-trump" rel="" target="_blank" title="Donald Trump"><span>Donald Trump</span></a><span> was a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/start-nuclear-treaty-expiry-russia-says-its-still-ready-to-talk-to-us-on-nuclear-limits-as-existing-treaty-expires/fd126faa-bc1d-4c12-bcb8-a3b05fecf836" rel="" target="_blank" title="critic of New START"><span>critic of New START</span></a><span>, which was signed by his first predecessor </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/barack-obama" rel="" target="_blank" title="Barack Obama"><span>Barack Obama</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>No news of a similar treaty or agreement to replace it has been mooted, but Yeaw insisted Trump isn't walking away or ignoring the need to control the nuclear arms race.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Our goal is a better agreement towards a world with fewer nuclear weapons," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> 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