US treasury secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday defended President Donald Trump ’s decision to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 33 years, saying it was crucial to help America "certainly catch up" with China.
"The US is lagging China in nuclear power development, but we can certainly catch up," Bessent said during an interview on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria. "It’s all hands on deck for nuclear power," he added.
Bessent’s remarks came hours after Trump ordered the Pentagon to immediately restart nuclear weapons testing, ending a moratorium that had been in place since 1992.
The announcement was made minutes before Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, and was widely seen as a show of strength ahead of high-stakes trade talks between Washington and Beijing.
Bessent also pointed to what he described as a major trade win from the Xi-Trump meeting. "Trump got China to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans this season," he said.
"Between now and January, the total will rise — and then for the next three years, they’re going to be buying a minimum of 25 million metric tons per annum," he added.
Trump’s surprise before meeting Xi
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social while aboard Marine One en route to his meeting with Xi at Gimhae Air Base. "Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately," Trump posted.
He added that "Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.”
The move followed Russia’s successful tests of its nuclear-powered Poseidon torpedo and cruise missile earlier this month, and weapons that President Vladimir Putin hailed as next-generation deterrents.
'With others doing testing, it’s appropriate we do too'
Later, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the testing was necessary to ensure US readiness and parity with rival powers.
"With others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also," he said, adding that specific test sites would be "determined later," Reuters reported.
When asked about the risks of escalating a new nuclear arms race, Trump brushed aside concerns. "I'd like to see a denuclearisation because we have so many and Russia's second and China's third and China will catch up within four or five years," he said
"We are actually talking to Russia about that, and China would be added to that if we do something," he added.
China, Russia react sharply
Russia’s state-run RIA news agency quoted a senior lawmaker as saying Trump’s decision would usher in "a new era of unpredictability and open confrontation."
Beijing’s foreign ministry called on Washington to "honor its commitments" under international treaties, referring to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), signed by the US but never ratified.
Experts warn of dangerous escalation
Trump’s announcement drew immediate criticism from arms control experts, who called the move unnecessary and provocative. "The United States has no technical, military, or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association.
He noted that the NNSA "would need at least 36 months to resume contained nuclear tests underground at the former test site in Nevada," adding that much of its workforce remains furloughed due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Kimball warned that resuming testing could trigger a dangerous arms race and undermine decades of nuclear restraint. "Restarting tests could invite reciprocal actions from Russia or China and unravel global nonproliferation efforts," he said.
Race among nuclear powers
Trump’s decision comes just days after Russia announced it had successfully tested two advanced nuclear systems, the Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo and a nuclear-powered cruise missile — moves that the Kremlin said demonstrated its "technological superiority.”
While Trump cited these developments as justification for restarting US testing, analysts say the US already maintains the world’s most advanced and reliable nuclear arsenal.
Independent experts estimate that the US possesses around 3,700 nuclear warheads, compared to Russia’s 4,300 and China’s 500–600, though Beijing is rapidly expanding its arsenal. The Pentagon has projected that China could surpass 1,000 warheads by 2030, a figure still far behind Washington and Moscow.
Trump, however, has repeatedly claimed that the United States has "the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.”
Peace talk or power play?
Analysts say Trump’s announcement, coming moments before his trade meeting with Xi, was intended as both a negotiating tool and a demonstration of US dominance.
"Continued Russian progress and parallel US development could further incentivize China to accelerate its own nuclear research programs to avoid being left behind," Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told Reuters.
Trump later described his meeting with Xi as "very friendly," saying he agreed to visit China in April 2026, with Xi expected to visit the US later next year.
"The US is lagging China in nuclear power development, but we can certainly catch up," Bessent said during an interview on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria. "It’s all hands on deck for nuclear power," he added.
Bessent’s remarks came hours after Trump ordered the Pentagon to immediately restart nuclear weapons testing, ending a moratorium that had been in place since 1992.
The announcement was made minutes before Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, and was widely seen as a show of strength ahead of high-stakes trade talks between Washington and Beijing.
Bessent also pointed to what he described as a major trade win from the Xi-Trump meeting. "Trump got China to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans this season," he said.
"Between now and January, the total will rise — and then for the next three years, they’re going to be buying a minimum of 25 million metric tons per annum," he added.
Trump’s surprise before meeting Xi
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social while aboard Marine One en route to his meeting with Xi at Gimhae Air Base. "Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately," Trump posted.
He added that "Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.”
The move followed Russia’s successful tests of its nuclear-powered Poseidon torpedo and cruise missile earlier this month, and weapons that President Vladimir Putin hailed as next-generation deterrents.
'With others doing testing, it’s appropriate we do too'
Later, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the testing was necessary to ensure US readiness and parity with rival powers.
"With others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also," he said, adding that specific test sites would be "determined later," Reuters reported.
When asked about the risks of escalating a new nuclear arms race, Trump brushed aside concerns. "I'd like to see a denuclearisation because we have so many and Russia's second and China's third and China will catch up within four or five years," he said
"We are actually talking to Russia about that, and China would be added to that if we do something," he added.
China, Russia react sharply
Russia’s state-run RIA news agency quoted a senior lawmaker as saying Trump’s decision would usher in "a new era of unpredictability and open confrontation."
Beijing’s foreign ministry called on Washington to "honor its commitments" under international treaties, referring to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), signed by the US but never ratified.
Experts warn of dangerous escalation
Trump’s announcement drew immediate criticism from arms control experts, who called the move unnecessary and provocative. "The United States has no technical, military, or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association.
He noted that the NNSA "would need at least 36 months to resume contained nuclear tests underground at the former test site in Nevada," adding that much of its workforce remains furloughed due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Kimball warned that resuming testing could trigger a dangerous arms race and undermine decades of nuclear restraint. "Restarting tests could invite reciprocal actions from Russia or China and unravel global nonproliferation efforts," he said.
Race among nuclear powers
Trump’s decision comes just days after Russia announced it had successfully tested two advanced nuclear systems, the Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo and a nuclear-powered cruise missile — moves that the Kremlin said demonstrated its "technological superiority.”
While Trump cited these developments as justification for restarting US testing, analysts say the US already maintains the world’s most advanced and reliable nuclear arsenal.
Independent experts estimate that the US possesses around 3,700 nuclear warheads, compared to Russia’s 4,300 and China’s 500–600, though Beijing is rapidly expanding its arsenal. The Pentagon has projected that China could surpass 1,000 warheads by 2030, a figure still far behind Washington and Moscow.
Trump, however, has repeatedly claimed that the United States has "the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.”
Peace talk or power play?
Analysts say Trump’s announcement, coming moments before his trade meeting with Xi, was intended as both a negotiating tool and a demonstration of US dominance.
"Continued Russian progress and parallel US development could further incentivize China to accelerate its own nuclear research programs to avoid being left behind," Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told Reuters.
Trump later described his meeting with Xi as "very friendly," saying he agreed to visit China in April 2026, with Xi expected to visit the US later next year.
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