US Sounds Alarm as China Boosts Nuclear Weapons

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20th Oct, 2023. 06:29 pm
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US Sounds Alarm as China Boosts Nuclear Weapons

China has increased its nuclear stockpile to about 500 warheads, aiming for 1,000 by 2030.
China maintains a “no-first-strike” nuclear policy.

Its arsenal is still smaller than Russia and the US.

China has substantially increased its nuclear inventory, now possessing approximately 500 operational warheads, with plans to double its arsenal to more than 1,000 warheads by 2030, according to the latest Pentagon report.

Notably, the report underlines China’s continued commitment to a “no-first-strike” nuclear policy.

Despite exceeding previous projections, China’s stockpile still pales in comparison to Russia, with around 5,889 warheads, and the US, with 5,244 warheads, as reported by the independent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

In 2021, the US Department of Defense estimated China’s arsenal at about 400 warheads.

“We’re not trying to suggest a very large departure from where they [China] looked to be headed… but we are suggesting that they’re on track to exceed those previous projections,” a senior Pentagon official told reporters on Thursday, adding that the issue raised “a lot of concerns” for the US.

President Xi Jinping has made a commitment to establishing a “world-class military” for China by the year 2049.

Since taking office in 2012, he has been dedicated to the modernization of the country’s armed forces.

In its report released on Thursday, the Pentagon stated that China’s efforts to expand its nuclear capabilities were poised to surpass all previous endeavors in both magnitude and intricacy.

According to US officials, it is likely that in 2022, Beijing completed the construction of three new groups of missile facilities.

These sites comprise at least 300 new silos for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), which are ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 5,500 kilometers (approximately 3,400 miles).

China’s People’s Liberation Army has also been seeking to develop ICBMs that would allow it “to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental US, Hawaii and Alaska”, the US report found.

The analysis said that despite the growth of its nuclear stockpile, China remained “committed to a policy of ‘deterrence’ of an enemy first strike and ‘counterstrike’ when deterrence fails”.

In a press briefing on Friday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the US report “is full of prejudice and spreads the theory of the threat posed by China”.

Ms. Mao added that China had “always maintained our nuclear forces at the lowest level required for national security, and we have no intention of engaging in a nuclear arms race with any country”.

Henry Boyd, from the Henry Boyd International Institute for Strategic Studies, informed the media that the reported rate of increase in China’s nuclear arsenal did not appear to be exceptionally high.

He acknowledged that China was progressing somewhat faster than earlier estimates toward its goal of 1,000 warheads.

Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, explained to the BBC that advancements like hypersonic missiles were prompting China to reconsider its second-strike policy, leading to the expansion of its nuclear stockpile.

The Pentagon’s report from Thursday also pointed out that Beijing had been applying increased diplomatic, political, and military pressure on Taiwan in recent months.

It was reported that President Xi had instructed defense officials to develop the military capability to potentially reclaim the island by 2027.

The Pentagon report further highlighted a series of actions, including ballistic missile overflights over Taiwan, increased airspace incursions, and military exercises around Taiwan’s waters, aimed at destabilizing the island.

These developments occur at a time when China-US diplomatic relations are strained. On Wednesday, the United States accused Chinese air force pilots of engaging in hundreds of “coercive and risky” maneuvers against US military aircraft in international airspace over the Pacific.

The Pentagon, which also released videos and photos of these incidents, reported a total of 180 such incidents since autumn 2021.

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