The Pentagon released its annual report on Beijing’s military on October 19, indicating that China currently possesses more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, and experts expect this number to surpass 1,000 by 2030. While the quantity of China’s nuclear weapons is increasing, it remains significantly lower than that of Russia and the United States.
Comparatively, the United States presently possesses a stockpile of about 3,700 nuclear warheads, and it has deployed approximately 1,419 of them as strategic nuclear warheads. On the other hand, Russia possesses about 1,550 deployed nuclear weapons and has a stockpile of 4,489 nuclear warheads, as reported by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Pentagon’s report reveals that China’s arsenal of more than 500 nuclear warheads as of May 2023 is on course to surpass earlier estimates. In the previous report, the Pentagon estimated that Beijing had more than 400 operational nuclear warheads in 2021.
A senior US official emphasized the rapid modernization, diversification, and expansion of China’s nuclear forces. The report emphasizes that this development greatly surpasses what China was involved in a decade ago in terms of scale and complexity.
Additionally, the report states that China’s Navy has expanded to include over 370 ships and submarines, up from the 340 vessels they possessed the previous year. This expansion aligns with President Xi Jinping’s vision of making China the dominant military power in the region, solidifying China’s position as the world’s largest Navy.
The report also reiterates concerns about China’s exertion of pressure on self-governed Taiwan, which Beijing considers a separatist province. Tensions between China and the United States persist, with disagreements on issues ranging from Taiwan and China’s human rights record to its military activities in the South China Sea.
Despite these tensions, Washington has expressed a desire to reestablish military-to-military communication with China.