China is rapidly increasing its nuclear arsenal and is expected to double its number of nuclear warheads from more than 500 currently to more than 1,000 by 2030, which exceeds earlier projections, the Pentagon\u2019s annual report on China\u2019s military growth said this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Pentagon previously estimated that Beijing had more than 400 nuclear warheads as of 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Chinese military\u2019s \u2018evolving capabilities and concepts continue to strengthen the PRC\u2019s ability to \u2018fight and win wars\u2019 against a \u2018strong enemy\u2019 (a likely euphemism for the United States), counter an intervention by a third party in a conflict along the PRC\u2019s periphery, and project power globally,\u2019 the Thursday report said, noting the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s goal of having a \u2018world-class\u2019 military by 2049.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It added, \u2018The PRC probably will use its new fast breeder reactors and reprocessing facilities to produce plutonium for its nuclear weapons program, despite publicly maintaining these technologies are intended for peaceful purposes.\u2019<\/p>\n
The military is also developing new ICBMs that will \u2018significantly improve its nuclear-capable missile forces and will require increased nuclear warhead production\u2019 and may be exploring the development of conventionally-armed intercontinental range missile systems that would allow it to \u2018threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Pentagon said that Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine had presented an \u2018unexpected challenge\u2019 for Beijing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018As Beijing deliberates the scale and scope of material commitments to Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine, it probably will seek to balance its strategic partnership with Russia while avoiding reputational or economic costs that could result from its assistance,\u2019 the report said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
China is \u2018almost certainly is learning lessons\u2019 from the war in Ukraine in relation to a potential conflict over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a Chinese territory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
China already has the world\u2019s largest navy and has increased its number of ships from 340 to 370 since last year, the report added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beijing is expected to increase its number of ships to 435 by 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Friday, China foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the Pentagon report \u2018ignores the facts, is full of prejudice and spreads the theory of the threat posed by China.\u2019<\/p>\n
Mao continued, \u2018As long as any country does not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against China, it will not be threatened by China\u2019s nuclear weapons.\u2019<\/p>\n
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n