October 19, 2023
At a time when the international community looks with concern at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warnings about carrying out nuclear tests again, the US recalled that Moscow is not the only problem in this regard.
Through the Pentagon, Washington reported that China has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads in its arsenal and will likely have more than 1,000 warheads by 2030.
In addition, the Pentagon reported that China’s more than 500 nuclear warheads in May 2023 were on track to exceed projections, since a previous report estimated that Beijing had 400.
The report also added that China’s Navy had more than 370 ships and submarines, up from 340 ships last year.
Currently, China has the largest Navy in the world, something key for Beijing when trying to become the preeminent military power in the region.
In this sense, concern was reiterated about Beijing’s pressure on the autonomous government of Taiwan, an island that China considers a separatist province.
But, beyond the warnings, Chinese nuclear weapons are much smaller than those of Russia and the United States: while Washington has about 3,700 nuclear warheads, of which approximately 1,419 have been deployed, Moscow has about 1,550 deployed and a total of 4,489.
2023-10-20 04:18:14
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