The Pentagon of the US estimates that China is in the process of more than tripling its nuclear arsenal. It is worth noting that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Sergei Lavrov during the G20 that Russia's position that a nuclear war should not be waged is a "rational" and "responsible" stance.
China's nuclear arsenal is expected to more than triple by 2035, reaching 1,500 nuclear warheads, according to a Pentagon report which also finds that the Chinese Air Force is constantly improving.
What the report says
Washington considers Beijing to be the main military challenge to the US, and the US Department of Defense's annual report on the Chinese military highlights the progress China is making in terms of both its nuclear and conventional military forces.
"The Defense Department estimates that (China's) stockpile of nuclear warheads has exceeded 400. If the stockpile continues to grow at this rate, China will likely have about 1,500 warheads" by 2035, the report said."
It conducted 135 tests in 2021
China's nuclear arsenal, however, remains far smaller than that of the US and Russia, two countries that have many thousands of nuclear warheads. Beijing, which is also working to modernize ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads, conducted 135 tests in 2021, "more than the rest of the world." The Air Force is also making significant progress "rapidly approaching (the level of) Western air forces."
[BR][BR]The report echoes US concerns about Beijing's growing pressure on Taiwan. A US official commented, however, that Washington does not believe that a Chinese invasion of the island is "imminent."
Source: in.gr
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