China expanding nuclear arsenal at rapid rate: Pentagon

As the People's Liberation Army continues to rapidly expand its forces, China has reportedly boosted its arsenal of active nuclear warheads from 500 to 600 in just one year, according to the US Department of Defense. The Pentagon stated that China had increased its arsenal by 20 percent over a 12-month period beginning in mid-2023. According to the Pentagon's annual "China Military Power Report," the country is currently on track to develop 1,000 warheads by 2030.

In recent years, the Pentagon has issued a warning that the United States will soon encounter two nuclear counterparts as China's arsenal approaches that of the United States and Russia. China has not contested the expansion of its nuclear arsenal; however, it dismisses the United States' apprehension regarding the matter, asserting that it is being employed as a pretext for Washington's pursuit of "absolute strategic predominance."

According to the Pentagon report, China is expected to maintain its nuclear arsenal expansion until at least 2035. However, it refrained from reiterating its 2022 forecast that the PLA was on course to possess 1,500 warheads by the midpoint of the next decade, a figure that would be nearly identical to the number of warheads deployed by the US and Russia.

"The further out we go...the more challenging it is to have a projection that you can have great confidence in, because there are so many variables that could cause them to adjust either what they think is necessary or what they're able to do," a US Defense official said, according to the Financial Times.

The report stated that the PLA Rocket Force, which is responsible for the majority of China's nuclear arsenal, was in the process of developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles that would substantially enhance its nuclear-capable forces.