Pentagon warns of China’s nuclear superpower comparable to US

SANAA, Nov. 04 (YPA) – A Pentagon report warns that China’s rapidly growing nuclear arsenal is expanding at a much faster pace than estimated just a year ago, highlighting Beijing’s military efforts to match or surpass US global power by the middle of the century.

The Pentagon said in a report that the number of nuclear warheads china possesses could jump to 700 in six years and to 1,000 by 2030, according to the Associated Press.

The US report did not say how many heads China has today. However, a year ago, the Pentagon said the number was in the range of 200, and is likely to double by the end of this decade.

By comparison, Washington has about 3,750 nuclear warheads, but has no plans to increase, a much lower figure than it had in 2003, when it owned nearly 10,000 nuclear warheads.

The report did not mention a possible open conflict with China, but it is in line with the US version of the Chinese military, and its determination to challenge the US in all aspects of warfare — air, land, navy, space, and cyberspace.

The report noted that the evolving capabilities and concepts of the Chinese military mean that China’s ability to fight and win wars against a “strong enemy” continues to grow, a possible reference to the United States.

E.M