China is surging NUCLEAR weapons production, will DOUBLE its arsenal to 1,000 warheads by 2030, and is exploring new intercontinental ballistic missile system to threaten U.S., Pentagon warns
- China already has more than 500 nuclear weapons
- That is more than U.S. officials previously thought
- Beijing slammed the U.S. report as ‘full of prejudice’ as relations reach new low
China has accelerated its production of nuclear weapons and is set to double its arsenal to over 1,000 by 2030, the Pentagon has warned.
As of May this year Beijing had ‘more than 500 operational nuclear warheads’ which was more than the U.S. had previously believed.
Its military is on track to ‘exceed previous expectations,’ the Pentagon said in its annual China Military Power Report.
The disclosure is a further blow to relations between the world’s two largest economies, which are already at their lowest ebb in years.
Tensions are growing over a range of issues including China’s aggressiveness toward Taiwan, its military activities in the South China Sea, trade, and human rights.
China’s DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing
Xi Jinping (center) poses for photos with the new commander of the rocket force Wang Houbin (top left)
A U.S. defense officials said surge in nuclear weapons building ‘raises a lot of concerns for us’ and urged Beijing to be ‘more transparent on their nuclear buildup.’
The official said: ‘We see the PRC (People’s Republic of China) continuing to quite rapidly modernize and diversify and expand its nuclear forces.
‘What they’re doing now, if you compare it to what they were doing about a decade ago, it really far exceeds that in terms of scale and complexity.’
According to the Federation of American Scientists the U.S. has a stockpile of about 3,700 nuclear warheads, of which 1,419 strategic nuclear warheads are deployed.
Russia has a stockpile of 4,489 nuclear warheads, of which about 1,550 are deployed.
The report said China is looking to expand its capacity to launch nuclear weapons from land, air and submarines.
It also said China may be pursuing a new intercontinental missile system using conventional weapons.
The system would allow Beijing ‘to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska.’
Beijing has ‘probably completed’ construction of 300 intercontinental ballistic missile launch facilities, the report said.
Chinese helicopters in a training exercise
Xi Jinping wants to boost the Chinese military
China’s Navy, already the largest in the world, now has more than 370 ships and submarines, up from the 340 last year.
The expanding naval force is central to President Xi Jinping’s goal of make China the preeminent military power in the region.
The report reiterated concern about pressure by Beijing on self-ruled Taiwan, an island China sees as a breakaway province.
Pressure against Taiwan includes ballistic missiles flying over and increased incursions by warplanes.
U.S. officials also said Beijing is ‘almost certainly’ learning lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine about what a conflict over Taiwan might be like.
It is trying to develop industrial and economic self-reliance after seeing how Western sanctions hit Moscow.
Xi Jinping with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in March
DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Tiananmen Square during a military parade
China’s foreign ministry slammed the report as inaccurate and ‘prejudiced,’ although it did not specificially dispute the numbers.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: ‘China firmly pursues a nuclear strategy of self-defense.
She said: ‘This report ignores the facts, is full of prejudice and spreads the theory of the threat posed by China.
‘We have always kept our nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security and have no intention to engage in a nuclear arms race with any country.’
She added: ‘No country will be threatened by China’s nuclear weapons as long as it does not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against China.’
Beijing said it remains committed to a ‘no first use’ nuclear weapons policy, meaning it would never launch a preemptive strike.
The U.S. does not adhere to a ‘no first use’ policy and says nuclear weapons would be used only in ‘extreme circumstances.’
Xi has given his military until 2027 to develop the military capability to retake Taiwan.
The U.S. has committed billions of dollars in weapons to Taiwan to build up its defenses and help it counter any potential attack.
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