China increases production of nuclear warheads-Pentagon
2022.11.29 12:08
China increases production of nuclear warheads-Pentagon
Budrigannews.com – According to a report that was released on Tuesday by the Pentagon, China is likely to have a stockpile of 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues to build nuclear weapons at the current rate.
Even though the projections do not suggest that China is accelerating the pace of its already rapid warhead development, the figure highlights the growing concerns that the United States has regarding China’s intentions for its expanding nuclear arsenal.
During a news briefing on the Pentagon’s annual report on China’s military, a senior U.S. defense official stated, “They’ve got a rapid buildup that is kind of too substantial to keep under wraps.”
“It does raise questions about whether they’re kind of shifting away from a strategy that was based on what they called a lean and effective deterrent,” the author states.
According to the report, which primarily discusses events in 2021, China currently possesses over 400 warheads in its nuclear arsenal.
According to the official, the Pentagon’s projection for China’s nuclear arsenal of 1,000 warheads by 2030 is unchanged, and the projection for 2035 is based on the same expansion rate.
China asserts that the United States’ and Russia’s arsenals dwarf its own and that it is prepared for dialogue if Washington reduces its nuclear stockpile to China’s level.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) think-tank, the United States possesses approximately 3,700 nuclear warheads, of which approximately 1,740 have been deployed.
During the October Communist Party Congress, Chinese leader Xi Jinping indicated that China would increase its strategic deterrent, a term frequently used to describe nuclear weapons.
The report expressed concern once more about Beijing’s growing pressure on Taiwan, an island that China views as a breakaway province.
According to the American official, Washington does not anticipate an invasion of Taiwan.
