Senior Pentagon officials suggested that the fuses were little different from those used in artillery shells and other weapons.
But Kristensen said these fuses are unique and their nose-cone assemblies were also the product of years of costly development.
"And for any country that develops such technology, it is a hugely important technology," he said.
Because the re-entry vehicle passes through the atmosphere at a "very, very high speed and under enormous stress and turbulence, you have to be able to set the height of burst very accurately if you want to have maximum capability out of your warhead," he said.
"So for a country like China, that is trying to develop more capable systems, that would be very important material to get," he said.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang and AFP
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