China will have 1500 nuclear weapons by the year 2035 – sensational disclosure in Pentagon’s annual report
China is likely to have a stockpile of around 1,500 ordnance by 2035. The US Defense Department gave this information. China currently has an estimated 400 weapons.
Washington: By 2035, China is likely to have a stockpile of about 1,500 nuclear weapons. The US Defense Department gave this information. China currently has an estimated 400 weapons. Beijing aims to modernize, diversify and expand its nuclear forces over the next decade, the Pentagon said on Tuesday in its annual report submitted to the US Congress on China’s ambitious military program.
He said that China’s current nuclear modernization exercise is on a much larger scale than previous modernization efforts. The report said that China is increasing the number of land, sea, and air-based nuclear platforms and building the necessary infrastructure to expand its nuclear forces. It has been said that China may accelerate its nuclear expansion in 2021. The Pentagon has estimated that the stockpile of operational nuclear weapons in China has crossed 400.
According to the report, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) plans to “complete the modernization” of its national defense and armed forces by 2035. It added, “If China continues its nuclear expansion at the same pace, it could have a stockpile of about 1,500 warheads by 2035.” A senior official said, “Their (China’s) goal is to channelize its national power into domestic and foreign policy matters.” To expand through initiatives, so one of the global security initiatives that Chinese President Xi Jinping launched… is that China wants to portray itself as a provider of global public goods.
The official said more drastic and aggressive actions have taken place in the Indo-Pacific region, some of which the US would characterize as “dangerous”. He said that Chinese ships have behaved in an unsafe and unprofessional manner in the Indian Pacific region. Responding to the Pentagon report, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the US has been exaggerating the “threat from China” in recent years to find an excuse to expand its nuclear arsenal and maintain its military supremacy.
According to the Pentagon report, Chinese diplomatic, economic, political, and military pressure against Taiwan has been intensified. The report highlights increased military pressure in 2021 and its further increase in 2022, especially due to the visit of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. The Pentagon said last year that the number of Chinese nuclear weapons could increase to 700 within six years and 1,000 by 2030. The new report said that China currently has about 400 nuclear weapons and this number could increase to 1,500 by 2035. America has 3,750 active nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao underlined in Beijing that China’s nuclear policy is consistent and clear. He said, ‘We follow the strategy of developing nuclear for our defense. We stick to the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons. We have exercised extreme restraint in developing nuclear capabilities. We have retained that minimum capability which is necessary for national security. We are not involved in any arms race. Zhao also said that America has the world’s largest nuclear stockpile.
