Paramilitary officers in Beijing
(Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

The US state department claimed China might have secretly conducted small nuclear tests, effectively violating international agreements banning such tests.

The State Department reported is concerned the Chinese government may have performed low-yield nuclear tests underground. A report published earlier Wednesday cited an array of results and circumstantial evidence, including excavations and other activities at China's Lop Nur test site.

The report also found China conducting the tests using low explosive power. It claimed they were using explosive containment chambers and hiding nuclear testing activities. Officials said the Chine government maintained a high level of activity at the site, possibly leading to a year-round operation.

While the report did not provide any concrete evidence, it still raised red flags.

The US government could not determine whether or not China shut down its biological warfare program primarily due to a lack of transparency.

The US defense intelligence agency threw similar accusations to Russia the previous year, but the allegations were never confirmed.

Republic Senator Tom Cotton urged the Trump administration to break free from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which serves as a moratorium on nuclear testing.

On Twitter, Cotton claimed Beijing is working to modernize its nuclear arsenal. "China has proven it can't work with us honestly," he said.

Coronavirus Controversy

The Chinese government has been under fire over its poor handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. The US intelligence and national security officials are now investigating the possibility that the virus originated in a Chinese laboratory. Chinese officials initially claimed it originated in a local wet market known for selling exotic animals as food.

The probe comes after it was discovered China released a central government directive restricting the publication of all academic research related to COVID-19 and its origins.

According to an online notice published by a Chinese institution, all written research and reports about the novel coronavirus must be classified and strictly managed. All papers will be reviewed by a committee who will then determine if they should be published locally or internationally.

The directive requires all papers to be vetted to three layers. They must gain approval from academic committees at universities, then from the Education Ministry's science and technology department, and lastly to the State Council. Researchers will be notified via email whether or not they can submit to journals.

The leaked notice further fueled multiple theories being pursued by investigators who are attempting to uncover where the virus originated amid the pandemic. The US reiterates it does not believe the virus was a bioweapon.

Intelligence officials are reportedly investigating the theory that the virus originated in a laboratory near the Wuhan market and was accidentally released to the public. Two Chinese researchers first presented the explosive theory. Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson later echoed the sentiment.

Most experts who were interviewed discounted the theory, saying there wasn't enough evidence to support it. The Chinese government also denied the speculation.

However, Dr. Richard Ebright, a chemical biology professor, and bioweapons experts, said the theory is possible and should not be dismissed.

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