James Kynge

So to me, it would probably be likely that some kind of a test by China has taken place.

But I also think there's an interesting question here as to whether or not China did anything wrong here.

Because we need to look carefully at what treaties China has signed up to.

It has signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, but it has not ratified it, which means that, you know, it didn't break any of the

of the precepts of that treaty because it hasn't ratified that treaty.

If you look at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which China has signed and ratified, then that treaty actually does not prohibit tests.

it discourages them, but it doesn't prohibit them.

So I think there's an interesting question here.

My guess would be that this US official is speaking from a position of having some evidence.

We all know that the US monitors Chinese territory very, very carefully with all kinds of spy satellites that cover probably every inch of the testing area.

But the second point is that

China hasn't actually done anything wrong according to the treaties that it has signed.

At least that's my take on it, Alice.

What are you seeing?

Completely agree, Alice.

I think, you know, the idea that China is going to sign up now to a regime which is led by the U.S.

and which would restrict China from building new warheads and testing the warheads it needs to test in order to make sure that its nuclear arsenal is operational is for the birds.

I really don't think China is in any mood to do that.

China is, as we often discuss on here, on course to become the leading superpower.

That is its aim.