In this Gatestone Institute article, Gordon G. Chang warns that China is engaged in the fastest nuclear buildup since the Cold War, dramatically raising the risk of nuclear conflict with the United States and its allies.
- China now possesses around 620 nuclear warheads according to SIPRI estimates, with experts warning of additional unknowns including a new generation of small nuclear warheads and potentially up to 1,000 theater missile warheads.
- China, Russia, and North Korea are expanding and diversifying their nuclear arsenals at breakneck speed with little interest in arms control, while cooperating closely with Iran in ways that threaten global stability.
- China’s theater nuclear arsenal poses a major threat to Asian democracies, particularly Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, as Beijing has repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes against nations supporting Taiwan or joining alliances like AUKUS.
- Regimes are shifting nuclear weapons from tools of deterrence to instruments of coercion and blackmail, adopting an “escalate to win” strategy that endangers the balance of power.
- The combined nuclear forces of China and Russia, plus North Korea, are creating a dangerous imbalance that could embolden aggression, especially given China’s refusal to engage in arms control talks.
- Recent developments include China’s display of advanced DF-5C ICBMs capable of carrying multiple warheads over 20,000 km, amid heightened tensions in the Asia-Pacific.
- Experts highlight that less resolute Western leadership combined with rapidly expanding arsenals makes miscalculation and escalation increasingly likely.
Read the full story:
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22614/china-nuclear-war
