China rapidly building up nuclear forces amid plans for Taiwan - Reuters
Photo: China is actively expanding its nuclear forces (Getty Images)
China has significantly accelerated the pace of modernization and expansion of its nuclear arsenal. Beijing is deploying the most ambitious build-up of strategic capabilities in decades, Reuters reports.
In March, General Anthony Cotton, commander of the US Strategic Command, told Congress that Chinese leader Xi Jinping's directive to prepare the army for a possible military takeover of Taiwan by 2027 directly stimulates the development of nuclear forces capable of being launched from land, sea, and air.
Despite the official policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, the Pentagon believes that China's strategy may include the use of nuclear strikes in the event of a threat to its command centers or critical infrastructure, as well as in the event of a possible defeat of Chinese troops in a war over Taiwan.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense rejects these accusations, emphasizing that the country adheres exclusively to a defensive nuclear strategy and condemns attempts to inflate the myth of the Chinese nuclear threat.
According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, China has already accumulated about 600 warheads and is building more than 350 new missile silos and bases for mobile launchers.
At the same time, a significant part of the arsenal is intended for short-range missiles aimed at regional targets.
The Pentagon's annual report states that by 2030, the Chinese People's Liberation Army could have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads, ranging from low-yield precision weapons to intercontinental ballistic missiles with megaton yields.
China-Taiwan conflict
China considers Taiwan an integral part of its territory and refuses to recognize the independence of its government, which Beijing calls separatist. At the same time, Taipei insists that it is a sovereign state with its own political and economic system.
The People's Liberation Army of the PRC regularly conducts large-scale exercises in the Taiwan Strait, rehearsing scenarios of a blockade of the island and a possible invasion.
The Chinese authorities have repeatedly stated that they do not rule out the use of force to reunify with Taiwan.
On August 8, Taiwan recorded nearly 60 Chinese aircraft and 10 ships near the island.
