China on pace to match U.S. nuclear stockpile by 2035, Pentagon warns
(Worthy News) – The Chinese military’s rapid buildup is on pace to reach 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 — nearly the number of current U.S.-deployed warheads, the Pentagon said in a survey of Chinese military power revealed Tuesday.
Two years ago, the People’s Liberation Army’s nuclear arsenal was limited to about 200 warheads, a stockpile that has doubled to more than 400 today, the report said. China first tested a nuclear weapon in 1964, but it has long trailed far behind the U.S. and Russia in the number of warheads in its arsenal.
The nuclear buildup could serve as a backstop for Beijing’s long-range plan for a military takeover of Taiwan, the self-ruled democratic island that China claims as its territory, the report said. The buildup includes intercontinental ballistic missiles and increased warhead production because of the deployment of multiwarhead missiles. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]