China’s nuclear arsenal to more than triple by 2035: Pentagon

WASHINGTON: China´s nuclear arsenal is set to more than triple to 1,500 warheads by 2035, the Pentagon said in a Tuesday report also highlighting the increasing sophistication of the country´s air force.

Washington has identified Beijing as the most consequential challenge to the United States, and the annual report on China´s military emphasized improvements to both its nuclear and conventional forces.

“The Department of Defence estimates that (China´s) operational nuclear warheads stockpile has surpassed 400,” the report said. “If China continues the pace of its nuclear expansion, it will likely field a stockpile of about 1,500 warheads” by 2035.

That figure would still however lag far behind the arsenals of the United States and Russia, which each include several thousand nuclear warheads. China is also working to modernize its ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear weapons, launching some 135 in testing during 2021 -- “more than the rest of the world combined,” excluding those fired in conflicts, the report said.

And Beijing´s air force is making strides, “rapidly catching up to Western air forces,” it said. A senior defense official, speaking before the report´s release, said the Chinese air force is “trying to... progress rapidly on all fronts,” including on the equipment it operates as well as its pilots and other personnel.