An alarming Pentagon report has revealed China’s “concerning” plot to quadruple its nuclear weapons stockpile and wrest power from the US.
China is plotting to quadruple its nuclear weapons stockpile in a “major expansion” within just a handful of years.
An alarming new Pentagon report revealed Beijing planned to ramp up its arsenal to 1000 nukes by 2030.
While that number would still be well below the US’ nuclear warhead stockpile, it has experts on edge as China has refused to participate in global arms control discussions.
It is also a major jump from America’s 2020 estimate that China’s stockpile would double from the low 200s over the next 10 years.
The timing of the report has also raised eyebrows, as it comes just hours after US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley warned that China was planning “one of the largest shifts in global geostrategic power that the world has witnessed”.
It also comes amid heightened threats of a new war between China and Taiwan, and as China and India increasingly clash over a strip of disputed territory along the border.
‘Win wars’
The Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2021 report states China might already have a so-called “nuclear triad” – a three-pronged approach that includes air, land and sea nuclear capabilities, and that it was building up infrastructure needed to support the “major expansion of its nuclear forces”.
It also warned that China was beefing up its potential to “win wars” against a “strong enemy”, which experts believe is code for the US specifically, triumph in territorial conflicts and “project power globally”.
The document included a timeline of China’s goals, with the nation planning to modernise its entire military by 2035 and become a leading military by 2049, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, which would also enable it to “displace US alliances and security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region”.
It also comes amid warnings from insiders that China poses the biggest threat to the US out of any nation.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon report revealed Beijing “perceived a significant threat” that the US would initiate a conflict in the South China Sea late in former President Donald Trump’s term, which “highlighted the potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation, and underscored the importance of effective and timely communication” between the two powers.
Potential invasion
Of chief concern to the US is a potential invasion of Taiwan by China, with the Pentagon report noting China’s “diplomatic, political, and military pressure against Taiwan intensified” last year.
General Mark Milley said on Wednesday while he didn’t expect China would invade within the next two years, it was “clearly and unambiguously building” the ability to do so at some point.
‘Very concerning’
According to CNN, a senior defense official who spoke to reporters after the report was released said China’s stockpile was of serious concern.
“The nuclear expansion that the [People’s Republic of China] is undertaking is certainly very concerning to us,” the official said.
“It’s one thing to observe what they’re doing, but they haven’t really explained why they’re doing it.
“They’re moving in a direction that substantially exceeds where they’ve been before in terms of numbers and capabilities.”
‘We are a peace-loving nation’
Meanwhile, China’s state-backed media mouthpiece, the Global Times, published an opinion piece by Hu Xijin defending the expansion of Beijing’s nuclear capabilities.
“We are a peace-loving nation and have committed to never being the first to use nuclear weapons, but we need a larger nuclear arsenal to curb US strategic ambitions and impulses toward China,” the piece reads.
“Maybe we have to deal with challenges with stronger determination in the near future, which requires the support of the Dongfeng and Julang missiles.
“Don’t be naïve. Don’t assume that nuclear warheads are useless. In fact, they are being used every day as a deterrent to shape the attitudes of US elites toward China.”
The author argued that while “some Chinese experts say we don’t need more nuclear weapons, I think they are as naïve as children.”
“Some people may call me a ‘war monger’ because I want the country to have more nuclear warheads,” it continues.
“They should instead give this label to US politicians who are openly hostile to China.”
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