New Delhi [India], February 18 : Amid recent US media reports alleging that China conducted nuclear tests during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Congress MP Manish Tewari on Wednesday raised questions over the timing and circumstances of the incidents.
In a post on X, citing a report by The Washington Post, Tewari questioned whether China carried out a nuclear test on June 22, 2020, just a week after the Galwan Valley clash, at a time when the world was grappling with the devastating impact of COVID-19.
He also wondered whether a country where the pandemic originated would have focused its efforts on containing the virus or on engaging in border tensions and alleged nuclear activities. Tewari further remarked that the origins of COVID-19, which claimed millions of lives globally, no longer appear to be a central topic of international discussion.
"Did China conduct a Nuclear Test on 22nd of June 2020 one week after the Galwan clash ? At a point in time when the world was reeling under the onslaught of COVID-19 ? Makes one wonder if Wuhan was a lab leak or a deliberate release.....? Would a nation where COVID-19 started concentrate its energy on containing COVID-19 or invade its neighbours and conduct alleged Nuclear Tests. Suddenly the origins of COVID-19 that cost millions of lives is no longer a subject of discussion," the 'X' post said.
China on February 11 strongly rejected allegations by the United States that it conducted nuclear explosive tests, calling the claims "completely groundless" and describing Washington as the "biggest source of disruption to the international nuclear order."
The remarks came after US Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Thomas G DiNanno, speaking at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, accused Beijing of conducting "nuclear explosive tests" in June 2020.
Responding to the allegations, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian criticised the US, accusing it of undermining global strategic stability and arms control mechanisms.
He further accused Washington of allowing the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) to lapse, which he said harmed trust among major powers and weakened global strategic balance.
"The position of the US is nothing new to us. The US keeps distorting and vilifying China's nuclear policy. This is essentially part of the US's political manipulation to seek nuclear supremacy and shirk its nuclear disarmament responsibility. China firmly rejects this," Lin said during a regular press briefing.
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