At a global disarmament conference in Geneva, the United States accused China of secretly conducting low-yield nuclear tests in 2020 — an allegation Beijing strongly denies. The claim comes at a pivotal moment, as the New START treaty between the US and Russia has expired and Washington pushes for a new trilateral arms control framework that China refuses to join. Are we entering a post–arms control era marked by renewed nuclear testing and unconstrained warhead deployments? In this episode, we examine the credibility of the US allegations, China’s strategic calculus, the collapse of traditional arms control regimes, and what a potential three-way nuclear competition could mean for the Indo-Pacific and Taiwan.
*Recorded on February 12, 2026 at 3:15pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Wen-Ti Sung
Producer: Chinyeh Chiang
Our guests:
Kitsch Liao
- Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub Associate Director
K. Tristan Tang
- Pacific Forum Non-Resident Vasey Fellow
Chapters:
00:00:00 – Talks Falter as US-Russia Treaty Expires
00:01:40 – US Accuses China of Secret Nuke Tests
00:09:00 – New START Treaty Lapses
00:14:00 – US Calls for Treaty With Russia, China
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