China is conducting clandestine biological weapons-related research and has failed to disclose past offensive germ weapons work, according to a State Department report made public Tuesday.

Beijing also is hiding nuclear-related test data by blocking sensors from an international monitoring system used to detect underground nuclear blasts, the annual arms control compliance report contended.

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The unclassified report provides new details regarding U.S. concerns “for many years” related to Beijing’s biological weapons research that is not permitted under the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention signed by 183 nations, including China and the United States. . . .

“The United States has compliance concerns with respect to Chinese military medical institutions’ toxin research and development because of the potential dual-use applications and their potential as a biological threat,” the report said. . . .

The U.S. government approached China about its concerns and will continue to monitor Chinese biological activities, the report said. “In addition, the United States does not have sufficient information to determine whether China eliminated its assessed biological warfare (BW) program, as required under Article II of the Convention.” . . .

The report stated that China’s submissions to the convention “have neither documented that offensive program, nor documented that China has eliminated the program or any remaining biological weapons” required under the accord.

The unclassified report stopped short of revealing details about Chinese military research and development on biological weapons but said China has continued building biotechnology infrastructure and working with unspecified “countries of concern.” . . .

The Washington Times quoted a senior Trump administration official in May alleging that China is engaged in a covert biological weapons program that includes building arms capable of attacking ethnic groups with pathogens.

“We are looking at potential biological experiments on ethnic minorities,” the official said on the condition of anonymity. . . .

China’s extensive work with viruses, including laboratory research on bat coronaviruses, has fueled concern that the virus that causes COVID-19 may have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan. . . .

The Chinese government has denied that the coronavirus escaped from a laboratory. . . .

The State Department, however, noted in March that the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak on the 45th anniversary of the biological weapons treaty only “highlights the importance of [Biological Weapons Convention signatories’] commitments to reducing all biological risks.” . . .

U.S. officials have said China’s secretive behavior regarding the origins of the coronavirus outbreak mirrors the secrecy surrounding its earlier biological weapons research. . . .

On China’s nuclear testing, the report said China does not appear to be adhering to the “zero yield” moratorium on nuclear testing agreed to in 1996 by signatories of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. China engaged in a high level of activity at its Lop Nur nuclear testing site last year that experts said appears to be preparation for operating the facility year-round. . . .

China is engaged in a large-scale nuclear forces buildup that includes the addition of multi-warhead missiles, which likely requires new warheads. . . .

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(Excerpt from The Washington Times. Written by Bill Gertz.)