China plans to quadruple its nuclear stockpile by 2030, according to a Pentagon assessment that points to a shift in Chinese policy with big implications for the balance of military power.
The US defence department said China could have 700 deliverable nuclear warheads by 2027 and would boost its stockpile — currently estimated in the low 200s — to at least 1,000 warheads by the end of the decade. The US has 3,800 warheads, according to the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists.
The projection marked a dramatic increase from last year’s estimate when the Pentagon said China was on course to double its stockpile.