China on Monday denied the United States’ claims that it carried out secret nuclear explosive tests. China called the accusations "outright lies" and said the US was making excuses to restart its own nuclear tests. At the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Thomas DiNanno, US under secretary of state for arms control, accused China of conducting tests, including one on June 22, 2020, and preparing for more high-yield tests. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AFP, "The US allegations are completely groundless and are outright lies. China firmly opposes the US attempt to fabricate excuses for its own restarting of nuclear tests." China also urged the US to "immediately stop its irresponsible actions." In October, US President Donald Trump said the US would start nuclear testing "on an equal basis" with Russia and China but did not explain what kind. DiNanno made his remarks while announcing a US plan to hold three-way talks with Russia and China. The goal is to set new limits on nuclear weapons now that New START, the last treaty between Washington and Moscow, expired last Thursday. China has already refused to join disarmament talks "at this stage."