India, Feb. 8 -- Following the expiry of a nuclear arms pact, the New START Treaty, the United States accused China of conducting a secret nuclear test on June 22, 2020, just days after the deadly clash in Ladakh's Galwan Valley killed 20 Indian soldiers.

The treaty, which limits the US and Russian missile and warhead deployments, was signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev.

The accusations levelled by the US at a Disarmament Conference in Geneva pointed out serious tensions between Washington and Beijing at a crucial moment in nuclear arms control.

"I can reveal that the US government is aware that China has conducted nuclear explosive tests, including preparing for tests with designa...