In 2027, the number of nuclear weapons present with China is expected to increase to 550. (File)
Tokyo:
Kyodo News reported on Saturday, citing a source close to the matter, that China is considering increasing its stockpile of nuclear weapons to 900 by 2035, as tensions with the United States are expected to escalate.
The report cited Chinese sources as saying that the blueprint drawn up by the People’s Liberation Army has been approved by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the military’s chief of staff, who is keen to strengthen Beijing’s deterrence against Washington.
As the Chinese Communist Party strengthens the country’s military capabilities, the United States said in 2022 that Beijing is on track to increase its stockpile of nuclear weapons to 1,500 by 2035, when it aims to complete the modernization of its military. Is.
Some foreign affairs experts have claimed that China may drop its “no first use” mandate if it achieves its military modernization goals, Kyodo News reported.
In November, the Chinese military’s top body spoke about the importance of lethal capabilities, analyzing that Russia’s strong nuclear deterrence despite its offensive against Ukraine has created a major rift between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Moscow. The competition has been put on hold, Kyodo News reported, citing sources.
According to the news report, sources said that the nuclear warheads held by China are likely to increase to 550 in 2027, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the country’s armed forces, and to 900 in 2035.
According to news reports, Russia has 5,977 nuclear warheads, while the United States has 5,428 nuclear warheads, Kyodo News reports, citing figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Relations between China and the US have been strained, especially after former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, Kyodo News reported.
There are growing apprehensions that Taiwan could become a military flash point in the Asia Pacific region in the near future as China claims the island as part of its territory. China and Taiwan have been governed separately since they were split in 1949 due to a civil war.
On 4 February, US President Joe Biden said that a Chinese balloon had been successfully shot down. Speaking to reporters in Maryland, he said he ordered the Pentagon to shoot down the balloon “as soon as possible”.
“On Wednesday, when I was informed about the balloon, I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down as quickly as possible on Wednesday. They decided without harming anyone on the ground. They decided that was the best time to do it.” as it passed over the water, out and within a range of 12 miles.”
“They successfully took it down. And I want to congratulate our aviators who did it. And we’ll have more to report a little later,” he added.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Saturday (local time) that US fighter jets assigned to the US Northern Command successfully shot down a high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to China over the waters off the coast of South Carolina in the US. Shot down. airfield.
Lloyd Austin said the balloon used by China in an attempt to survey strategic sites in the continental US was shot down over US territorial waters. A US Air Force fighter safely shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon, the US Defense Department said in a statement.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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