TRUMP JUSTIFIES DECISION TO RESTART TESTING OF NUKE WEAPONS

Pakistan and China are among the countries which are testing nuclear weapons, US President Donald Trump has said to justify his administration's plans to resume testing of the US's own nuclear assets after a gap of over three decades.

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US President Donald Trump

Ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, Trump announced that the US will start testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” with rival powers.

In an interview with CBS News’ Norah O'Donnell on Sunday, the US president named Russia, China, North Korea and Pakistan as the countries testing nuclear weapons.

“Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don't talk about it. You know, we're an open society. We're different. We talk about it.... We're gonna test, because they test and others test,” Trump said.

“And certainly North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan's been testing,” he asserted.

Shortly before meeting Xi in South Korea on Thursday last, Trump said on social media that the US will resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades.