President Donald Trump alleged during a CBS 60 Minutes interview that multiple nations, including China and Pakistan, are secretly conducting nuclear weapons tests. Trump made these assertions while defending his controversial order to resume American nuclear testing after a 33-year moratorium.
Here’s what Trump said on China-Pakistan Nuclear conduct
Donald Trump claimed nuclear-armed countries have continued testing covertly despite international monitoring systems. “Russia’s testing and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it,” Trump stated. “You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it… They don’t have reporters that are going to be writing about it.” He added that “Certainly North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan’s been testing.”
The president suggested these nations conduct tests deep underground to avoid detection. “They test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening with the test. You feel a little bit of a vibration,” Trump said.
Donald Trump also claimed he prevented nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan in May through economic pressure. “India was going to have a nuclear war with Pakistan. The Prime Minister of Pakistan stood up… If Donald Trump didn’t get involved, many millions of people would have been dead,” Trump said. “I told both of them, if you guys don’t stop you will not do any business with the US.”
Strategic Implications for India
If accurate, Trump’s allegations raise concerns for India’s nuclear deterrence posture. India maintains a no-first-use policy and has not conducted nuclear tests since 1998. Current estimates place India’s nuclear arsenal at approximately 180 warheads, compared to China’s 600 warheads (projected to reach 1,000 by 2030) and Pakistan’s 170 warheads.
China’s technological advances, particularly the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System tested in 2021, present significant challenges to India’s missile defense capabilities. Pakistan’s tactical nuclear weapons program continues expanding, with potential capacity for 200 warheads by 2028.
Questions persist regarding India’s 1998 Pokhran-II thermonuclear test. DRDO scientist K. Santhanam previously suggested the test may have underperformed, yielding only 10-15 kilotons instead of the claimed 200 kilotons.
Global monitoring networks typically detect underground nuclear tests through seismic activity. However, Trump contends such tests can be conducted undetected, though independent verification of his claims remains unavailable.
