China is 'aggressively' developing next generation doomsday nuclear weapons to get ahead in its arms race with the US and Russia.

The country's scientists are conducting five times as many nuclear weapons experiments a year as US experts, according to a major Chinese weapons laboratory.

Experts warned that while China, the US and Russia hope their nuclear weapons programmes will act as a deterrent against potential threats, the escalating arms race is more likely to increase the chances of a doomsday conflict.

In a new report from the China Academy of Engineering Physics, scientists revealed that Chinese researchers carried out 200 laboratory experiments between September 2014 and December 2018. On average, its national laboratories performed these experiments - designed to simulate the complex physics of a nuclear blast - around 50 times per year. For comparison, US scientists carried out 50 such tests between 2012 and 2017, an average of 10 a year, according to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Referencing efforts such as "various joint prayers" and "many ecumenical meetings," Francis observed an increased inclination toward Christian cooperation during the past year. He also emphasized its importance. "It is increasingly becoming a necessity and a desire," he said.

The pope expressed gratitude for the communal Catholic-Lutheran commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Francis spoke positively of the commemoration's outcomes, which he said created productive conversation around points of division and differences between the communities. He called for a thorough and honest continuation of these topics.