Kremlin Denies Claims of Secret Nuclear Tests by China and Russia

Kremlin's Response to Nuclear Test Allegations

MOSCOW, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that neither China nor Russia havecarried out secret nuclear tests, noting Beijing had denied U.S. accusations that it had done so.

U.S. Accusations Against China

The United States this month accused China of conducting a secret nuclear test in 2020 as it called for a new, broader arms control treaty that would bring in China as well as Russia.

Concerns Over Nuclear Arms Race

"We've heard many references to certain tests. Both the Russian Federation and China have been mentioned in this regard. Neither the Russian Federation nor China has conducted any nuclear tests," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"We also know that these allegations were categorically denied by a representative of the People's Republic of China, so that's the situation," added Peskov.

U.S. President Donald Trump is pressing China to join the U.S. and Russia to negotiate a replacement pact to New START, the last U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control agreement which expired on February 5.

The treaty's expiration has fuelled concerns among some experts that the world is on the verge of an accelerated nuclear arms race, though other arms control experts say such fears are exaggerated.

(Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Felix LightEditing by Andrew Osborn)