China may be conducting secret nuclear tests, State Dept.

[dustoff262]

China may be conducting secret nuclear tests, State Department warns
By Nick Givas, Rich Edson

Published April 15, 2020

Fox News
The State Department is concerned China may be conducting small nuclear tests in secret, possibly violating an international agreement banning such tests, Fox News confirmed Wednesday.

A new State Department report on compliance with arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament, first obtained by the Wall Street Journal earlier Wednesday, found that China may be flouting international law by conducting the tests within the northwest region of the country, using low explosive power.

The report didn't prove any wrongdoing on the part of the Chinese, but still raised red flags.

"Some compliance concerns are raised and some findings of violations are made," it read.

CORONAVIRUS HAS 'NO IMPACT' ON ABILITY TO LAUNCH NUCLEAR WEAPONS: TOP US NUKE COMMANDER

Officials wrote that China had maintained a "high level of activity" at its Lop Nur site in 2019, and could be seeking to operate it year-round going forward.

It also mentioned China’s use of explosive containment chambers, extensive evacuations at the site and lack of transparency on nuclear testing as reasons for raising suspicions.

The report went on to cite further concerns about China's possible violation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) by engaging "in biological activities with potential dual-use application."

The U.S. government also could not determine if China had shut down its biological warfare program, nor could it confirm if Beijing still had access to such weapons, due to its lack of openness and transparency.

China has been under growing scrutiny over its handling of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. There is increasing confidence that COVID-19 likely originated in a Wuhan laboratory not as a bioweapon, but as part of China's effort to demonstrate that its efforts to identify and combat viruses were equal to or greater than the capabilities of the United States, multiple sources who have been briefed on government actions and seen relevant materials revealed to Fox News.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called out the Chinese government for not sharing the full story with the rest of the world.

"We know that this virus originated in Wuhan, China," Pompeo told "The Story". "We know there is the Wuhan Institute of Virology just a handful of miles away from where the wet market was. There is still lots to learn. The United States government is working diligently to figure it out."

Fox News' Bret Baier, Gregg Re, Charles Creitz and Martha MacCallum contributed to this report.

Nick Givas is a reporter with Fox News. You can find him on Twitter at @ngivasdc.
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www.foxnews.com/politics/china-small-nuclear-tests-secret-state-department

[hapd]

Combat Information Center Watch Supervisor

lie, cheat and steal.

[dustoff262]

More slight of hand magic. Distractions because there is a huge problem with the original "wet market bat soup" excuses.

Think forensically. They are spinning covid 19 once again. The truth is worse than the lie. Prosecute the facts. This wont be over for a long time.

[behindtheline]

And will Nancy Pelosi apologize for this too ?

[hapd]

Combat Information Center Watch Supervisor


USNI-Commander Salamander

history is waking up all over the place
China’s Full Spectrum Challenge: Would a Nuke Tests Get Your Attention?
By CDRSalamander | April 15, 2020
General Dynamics

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CDRSalamander
A retired Navy Commander.

Join USNI

China’s economic challenge is well established, and at least in the natsec arena, her growing military capabilities gain respect with each passing year. The goal has always been to set the conditions to fully press the position as the United States as the world’s premier power.

Just putting the 2nd and 3rd order effects of the Chinese actions related to COVID-19 to the side for discussions SEPCOR, what other areas in the last year has China’s challenge been brought up to a significant level?

Outside economics, diplomatically look at their growing influence with international organizations: two recent examples:
1. The wholesale bringing of the World Health Organization in to alignment with CCP talking points.
2. At the UN, a statement of concern over the treatment of China’s Uyghur ethnic/religious minority only had 23 signatories. At roughly the same time, there were 54 signatories giving support to China’s “anti-terrorism” efforts in East Turkestan.

They have a diplomatic push, a solid economic effort, and a spotty but not totally ineffective informational effort in support of CCP policies around the world.

Perhaps those are a bit boring and hard to focus on in light of 2020’s 24-second news cycle … but today’s military related news might help everyone to focus;

China may have secretly set off low-level underground nuclear test explosions despite claiming to observe an international pact banning such blasts, the U.S. State Department said in a report on Wednesday that could fuel U.S.-Chinese tensions. The finding, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, may worsen ties already strained by U.S. charges that the global COVID-19 pandemic resulted from Beijing’s mishandling of a 2019 outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of Wuhan.
…
“China’s possible preparation to operate its Lop Nur test site year-round, its use of explosive containment chambers, extensive excavation activities at Lop Nur and a lack of transparency on its nuclear testing activities … raise concerns regarding its adherence to the zero yield standard,” the report said without providing evidence of a low-yield test. Beijing’s lack of transparency included blocking data transmissions from sensors linked to a monitoring center operated by the international agency that verifies compliance with a treaty banning nuclear test explosions.
History is waking up all over the place.



It would be helpful to the international community for the CCP to stop with the lack of transparency on issues that impact global stability, from disease to nuclear monitoring. Unfortunately, communist nations do not relish transparency – even when there is no downside to being transparent besides surrendering 100% control.

The WSJ’s nuclear test report today may just be a byproduct of the lack of transparency, and we should all hope that is the case. Second only to letting the nuclear genie back out of the bottle, would be a less than helpful reaction to false impressions derived from false assumptions.

History is full examples of the last point leading to even larger mistakes. We should always keep in mind who we are dealing with, and react – or better yet not react – accordingly.

[dustoff262]

China is willing to put all options on the table, and set in motion some preplanned evolutions to try and topple the United States as the world's super economic and military power. Communism has an insatiable appetite for power world wide. Where others communist countries failed, they will work hard to succeed because they are willing to play the long game, while in the west, we get tired after the 2nd inning of a double header.

Now its being said that this virus came from the Wuhan Lab from a clumsy low level incompetent lab worker. In 2 weeks it will be something else. China wants to save face for what they have done. Their disinformation is so staggering, you wont live long enough to get China to admit to the real truth. Disinformation works when you admit to about 60% of the facts sprinkled with 40% lies, which makes it all believeable. The United States does not want to be painted into a corner, so expect US intelligence to settle for something that will satisfy the West, the UN, and China so that all of the fingerpointing will go away, and there is no more talk of a bioweapon.

But you are cops. Prosecute the facts. Think forensically. You will not like the conclusions.