• China significantly increased its nuclear arsenal.
• China aspires to double its warhead count to over 1,000 by 2030.
• It remains far smaller than the stockpiles of the US and Russia.

The United States Department of Defense has disclosed that China has substantially expanded its nuclear arsenal over the past year, now possessing around 500 operational warheads.

According to a Pentagon annual report, China aspires to double its warhead count to over 1,000 by 2030 while maintaining a “no-first strike” policy.

While the growth in China’s nuclear stockpile exceeded prior projections, it remains far smaller than the stockpiles of the US and Russia, with Russia having around 5,889 warheads and the US having 5,244, as reported by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

China’s nuclear buildup coincides with President Xi Jinping’s push for a “world-class military” by 2049, emphasizing the modernization of the country’s armed forces.

The report also highlights China’s construction of new missile sites, including hundreds of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos, as well as efforts to develop ICBMs with the capacity to strike targets in the continental US.

Additionally, China has escalated diplomatic, political, and military pressure against Taiwan, with plans to forcibly re-take the island by 2027.

The Pentagon report arrives at a time of strained US-China relations, marked by recent incidents of Chinese air force pilots conducting what the US considers “coercive and risky” maneuvers against US military planes in international airspace over the Pacific.

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