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Nuclear Modernization

U.S. Intelligence: China conducted 2020 Explosive Nuclear Test, Revamping Arsenal

Sarah Salem

Monday, February 23rd, 2026

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U.S. Intelligence: China conducted 2020 Explosive Nuclear Test, Revamping Arsenal

Thomas DiNanno, under secretary of state for arms control and international security. Photo: State Department

After the State Department publicly revealed China secretly conducted an explosive nuclear test in 2020, despite a self-imposed ban from 1996, intelligence agencies are saying China’s purpose is to completely transform the country’s nuclear arsenal, according to CNN. The Feb. 21 article says sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments said the nuclear test could mean Beijing has shifted its nuclear strategy and investing in its nuclear arsenal to push it to “peer status” with Russia and the United States, despite…

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