The Department of Defense estimates that China will “probably” have about 1,500 operational warheads in just over a decade, compared to about 400 today.

Last year, the Pentagon said that the number of Chinese nuclear warheads could rise to at least 1,000 by 2030. Then the US government also announced that it had a stockpile of 3,750 nuclear warheads since September 2020. The US says since 1994 that it has dismantled 11,683 nuclear warheads.

A Pentagon spokesman said that the expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal “causes concern” and “destabilizes the region,” and he also expressed hope that the United States would maintain “an open dialogue with China to ensure transparency and that we understand the purpose behind it.” .

Both the United States and China have signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is a pact that restricts the possession of nuclear weapons. It is based on three pillars: non-proliferation, reduction of nuclear stockpiles, and the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.