The United States has expressed concern over the possible development of “alien nuclear weapons” by China.

The United States on Thursday expressed concern over reports that China dramatically increases nuclear arsenal, and urged Beijing to start talks prevent an arms race. “It is in everyone’s interest for the nuclear powers to talk to each other directly about the reduction of nuclear risks and thus avoid calculation errorsSaid Robert Wood, Ambassador of the United States to the Geneva Disarmament Conference.

Last week the newspaper The Washington Post He referred a a study of satellite images on which he indicated showed that 119 missile silos are being built in a desert near the city of Yumen (northwest China). According to this report, These silos are similar to China’s nuclear-warhead ballistic missile launch facilities known so far.

Wood said it was something of “great concern”. “Until China sits down at the table with the United States bilaterally, the risk of a devastating arms race will continue. increase, and it doesn’t benefit anyone, ”he said.

The American diplomat also referred to a series of new systems that China would try to develop, including missiles capable of reaching United States territory. And he indicated that one of the biggest problems is lack of transparency, given that China does not provide details regarding its arsenal.

Concretely, it is about autonomous naval and air nuclear weapons systems, which, if developed, would disrupt global strategic stability. Wood said Beijing had not yet been able to arm this technology, but suggested it was interested in the so-called “Alien nuclear weapons”, like the underwater drones and the nuclear-powered cruise missiles that Russia is developing.

“It’s something that they are studying,” said Wood.. “If they developed these types of weapons and air systems, it would have the potential to dynamically change the strategic stability environment”. The United States does not have this type of weaponry.

China, he continued, claimed to be “responsible nuclear energy», Relying only on a very small defensive arsenal. “But, right now, we see that what China is doing seems to go against what it says”added.

“This is not what China did 10 years ago”Wood added, pointing to the “upward trajectory“That Beijing has followed in the quantity and quality of its weapons systems. “They are looking for weapons similar to some of the nuclear power carriers the Russians have been looking for.”.

In a first estimate released to the public of China’s nuclear capacity last year, the Pentagon claimed that Beijing appeared to have more than 200 nuclear warheads and he warned he intended to double that number over the next decade. Yet China’s nuclear arsenal is still a long way from the more than 11,000 nuclear warheads the United States and Russia jointly own.

Asked about Wood’s comments on China’s interest in developing nuclear-powered cruise missiles and underwater drones, Hans kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project, said he had not heard any U.S. government official make a similar statement. But this veteran analyst of Chinese, Russian and American nuclear arsenals added that “It’s no surprise that China is developing and exploring technologies it sees others working on.”.

(With information from AFP and AP)

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