WASHINGTON — US intelligence agencies believe China is developing a new generation of nuclear weapons and conducted a secret nuclear test this month, according to a report from CNN citing sources familiar with American intelligence assessments.
The intelligence indicates that China carried out a covert nuclear test in February 2026 as part of an effort to modernize its arsenal, the sources said. The assessment alleges that Beijing is working to advance its nuclear capabilities to the world's most sophisticated level.
The reported development includes research on missiles capable of carrying multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs, which allow a single missile to deliver several small nuclear warheads against different targets, the sources said. US intelligence also assesses that China is developing low-yield tactical nuclear weapons, a category of arms it has not previously possessed .
China's Foreign Ministry denied the allegations. A ministry spokesperson called the claims "completely unfounded" and accused the United States of political manipulation. The spokesperson said Washington was fabricating excuses to justify resuming its own nuclear testing .
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that both Russia and China remain committed to the decades-long moratorium on explosive nuclear testing. Peskov rejected US allegations against Moscow and Beijing, stating that neither country has violated the testing ban .
The allegations come as the global nuclear order faces significant strain. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia expired earlier this month, leaving the two largest nuclear powers without a binding arms control agreement for the first time in decades .
China has been engaged in a rapid expansion of its nuclear forces. The Pentagon reported in December that China had deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles in approximately 100 new silos at missile fields in the country's northwest. US intelligence assesses that China may possess around 600 operational warheads and could deploy roughly 1,000 by 2030, with most capable of reaching the United States .
China issued a white paper on arms control in November reaffirming its long-standing policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons and a nuclear strategy of self-defense. The document stated that China maintains its nuclear capabilities "at the minimum level required for national security" .
The white paper criticized US nuclear policies extensively, blaming Washington for seeking "absolute strategic superiority" and for "reinforcing its nuclear deterrence and war-fighting capabilities." It accused the United States of "blurring the line between missile defense and strategic offense" .
In response to questions about the US intelligence assessment, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on February 11 that "the United States' accusations that China has conducted nuclear explosion tests are completely unfounded." He urged the United States to reaffirm the five nuclear powers' commitment to a testing moratorium .
US officials have stated that the Trump administration seeks to bring China into nuclear arms control agreements. Washington has expressed interest in trilateral arms control talks that would include Russia and China .
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has not entered into force, but all five permanent members of the UN Security Council have observed a testing moratorium since the 1990s. China signed the treaty in 1996 and has stated its support for its purposes and objectives .
US President Donald Trump said in October that the United States would resume nuclear testing "on an equal basis" with other nuclear-weapons states. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeated that position in December, though no US test has been conducted .
China has not commented on the specific allegation of a February 2026 test. The Foreign Ministry has consistently denied any violation of the testing moratorium .