The Pentagon said in a report on Tuesday that China is considering doubling its nuclear arsenal this decade, which is designed for ballistic missiles and that the U.S. Can reach.
Nevertheless, China’s nuclear power An estimated 8,800 weapons are ready for action and more are in reserve, the report said. China currently has nuclear weapons “in the low-200s”, but is close to the ability to launch nuclear strikes by air, land and sea. This is the first time the US military has revealed China’s nuclear arsenal.
The Trump administration has been urging China to join the nuclear arms treaty with the United States and Russia to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons between the three countries, but China has refused. Chinese Foreign Ministry officials have said their arsenal is not large enough to be included in the negotiation limits. Chinese officials have said pressure on China to join the tripartite agreement should not be used as an excuse to move away from START, the US-Russia nuclear deal, which expires in February. If Moscow and Washington agree, it could be renewed for five years.
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In July, a senior Chinese diplomat said Beijing would be “happy” to join such an agreement if the US showed willingness to reduce its arsenal to the size of China.
The Pentagon said the growth projection is based on factors such as Beijing having enough material to double its stoppage without the production of new physical materials.
The report said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wanted to create an international environment “conducive” to national “rejuvenation”. They have decided that their armed forces should play a more active role in advancing their foreign policy goals.
By 2049, the U.S. will emerge as a global superpower. With the goal of matching or surpassing, the expansion of Chinese nuclear forces is part of a broader effort to bring more power to the world stage.
Party leaders also see divided China as a weaker China, and by the end of 2049 – on Beijing’s terms, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau will work towards a “complete reunification.”
Defense Secretary Mark Asper warned of China’s plans on Twitter three days before the report was released.
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“Communist China is at least doubling the size of its nuclear arsenal. Modernizing our nuclear power and maintaining readiness is essential for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he wrote.
The Trump administration has used predictions to justify spending hundreds of billions of dollars to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
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The plan, launched during the Obama administration, aims to replace all major elements of the nuclear force – submarines, long-range bombers and ground-based missiles – at an estimated top 1 trillion. This includes the cost of maintaining and operating forces and updating warheads, as well as command-and-control systems. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has not made it clear whether he will continue to win in November.
The Pentagon also suggested that China adopt a higher level of readiness for nuclear combat readiness. For now, it keeps its nuclear weapons separate from its missiles and launchers and will need warnings to prepare them for war. The report said evidence obtained last year indicated that China wanted to keep some part of its force in a state of alert called “launch on alert”. Thus, its Silo-based ICBM will be equipped in peacetime and ready for launch on short notice, which will be available in the U.S. ICBM The force runs.
The Associated Press contributes to this report.
