Robert Besser
03 Dec 2022, 04:34 GMT+10
WASHINGTON, D.C.: According to a Pentagon report, if China continues with its current nuclear buildup pace, it could have a stockpile of 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035.
"They've got a rapid buildup that is kind of too substantial to keep under wraps," a senior U.S. defense official said during a news briefing on the Pentagon's annual report on China's military.
"It does raise questions about whether they're kind of shifting away from a strategy that was premised on what they referred to as a lean and effective deterrent."
The report, which primarily covers activities in 2021, said China currently has a nuclear stockpile of more than 400 warheads.
The Pentagon's projection for China's nuclear arsenal of 1,000 warheads by 2030 remained unchanged, the official said, adding that the projection for 2035 was based upon an unchanged pace of expansion.
China says its arsenal is dwarfed by those of the United States and Russia, and that it is ready for dialogue, but only if Washington reduces its nuclear stockpile to China's level.
The United States has a stockpile of about 3,700 nuclear warheads, of which roughly 1,740 were deployed, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think-tank.
The report also raised concerns over increasing pressure by Beijing on self-ruled Taiwan. However, the U.S. official said Washington did not see an invasion of Taiwan as imminent.
Get a daily dose of Canada Standard news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Canada Standard.
More InformationWARSAW, Poland: As part of European Union (EU) sanctions imposed against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Poland banned all ...
MONTGOMERY, Alabama: Last week, Alabama's school chief, Superintendent Eric Mackey, said that under new reading benchmarks to move to fourth ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Last week, the Federal Reserve said its losses surpassed the US$100 billion mark and will likely continue to ...
ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of drone-related munitions and other systems to Canada ...
BETHESDA, Maryland: This week, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) said that it started early-stage human trials on FluMos-v2, ...
MAUI, Hawaii: Hawaii Governor Josh Green has announced that the death toll from last month's deadly fire on Maui has ...
(Photo credit: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports) The Milwaukee Brewers are trying to keep an even keel as they edge closer ...
(Photo credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports) With only nine games remaining in their pursuit of first place in the American ...
(Photo credit: Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK) Corbin Carroll had four hits, scored three runs and stole two ...
(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) Rookie right-hander Reese Olson gave up one run over six innings as the visiting ...
(Photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports) Indiana head coach Tom Allen expects more from his defense. The Hoosiers (1-2) had ...
(Photo credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports) Houston continues its season-opening run of games against in-state rivals when it plays host ...