US president orders restart to nuclear weapons testing

Trump also announced that he will visit China in April, paving the way for a broader agreement to be negotiated before then.

China’s foreign ministry confirmed the planned visit on Thursday and said the two sides agreed to extend a tariff truce they reached in May by a year, bringing back triple-digit tariffs.

Xinhua reported that the foreign ministry said the two sides also agreed on issues such as anti-drug cooperation on fentanyl, expansion of trade in agricultural products, and rollback of recent export restrictions and trade restrictions.

In a brief opening statement before the press was asked to leave the meeting room, Xi told Trump through an interpreter that it was normal for there to be friction between the world’s two largest economies and noted that the relevant trade negotiators had reached a “basic consensus” to address key concerns.

“In the face of wind, waves and difficulties, you and I, at the head of China-US relations, must stay on the right track and ensure the steady progress of the giant ship of China-US relations,” Xi said. he said.

Just before entering the meeting in Busan, on the sidelines of the APEC summit in nearby Gyeongju, Trump announced on social media that he had ordered the United States to resume nuclear weapons testing after Russia announced tests of a nuclear-powered underwater drone and a nuclear-capable cruise missile.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Due to other countries’ testing programs, I have directed the War Department to begin testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. This process will begin immediately.”

Such a test would be seen in Russia and China as a deliberate assertion of US strategic power. The last US nuclear explosive test was in 1992. While Russia has not conducted a nuclear test since 1990, China’s last nuclear test was conducted in 1996. According to the United Nations.

Russia has successfully tested the nuclear-powered Poseidon super torpedo, which military analysts say is capable of destroying coastal areas by triggering vast radioactive ocean waves, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. But on Monday, Trump dismissed security concerns about Russia’s tests, saying a nuclear submarine had been found “just off the coast” of the United States.

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Trump also said Thursday morning that he had approved South Korea’s plans to build a nuclear-powered submarine at a U.S. shipyard, following a request from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung a day earlier. Lee argued that conventionally armed submarines would help his country better track North Korean and Chinese ships and ease the operational burden on U.S. forces.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed concerns that the deal could make it harder for the US to meet its obligations to Australia under the AUKUS defense pact and rejected the suggestion that South Korea would give Australia greater access to US classified nuclear technology.

“These bilateral arrangements are a matter for the United States and Korea,” Albanese said Thursday morning in Gyeongju, where he attended the APEC summit.

“Australia’s agreements with the US and the UK are in our national interest, they will provide Australia with access to this technology and that is a very positive thing.”

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“President Trump has clearly expressed his support not only for AUKUS, but also for bringing the timetable forward if possible.”

Albanese sat next to Trump at an intimate dinner attended by a select group of world leaders at the APEC summit in Gyeongju on Wednesday night.

At the dinner, Trump praised Albanese for “the great meeting they had a week ago” at the White House and said Albanese “did a great job.”

“We work together on rare earths, but we also work together on a lot of things,” Trump said.

Via Bloomberg, Reuters, AP

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