2023-10-22 17:53:10
The rise of Chinese military power continues to worry the United States. A very detailed report released at the end of the week by the Pentagon reveals that China is developing its nuclear arsenal at a faster rate than previously estimated by the United States. Thus, according to American forecasts, China had “more than 500 nuclear warheads operational in May 2023” and is in the process of having “probably more than 1,000 by 2030”.
These warhead numbers remain roughly the same as a previous Pentagon report in 2021, but a senior defense official insists the Chinese “are on track to exceed our projections”. “We’re not trying to suggest a very big departure from the direction they seemed to be going (…)but we do suggest that they are on track to exceed these earlier projections”the official told journalists, requesting anonymity.
He called on Beijing to “more transparency” in this matter while China refuses to communicate with the United States about its arsenal. “This obviously raises a lot of concerns for us”he added.
China puts pressure on Taiwan
The report further notes on dozens of pages that Beijing is seeking to improve its ability to propel these warheads – from the ground, from an airplane or a submarine –, and has “probably completed” the construction of intercontinental ballistic missile firing facilities with more than 300 silos in total. For comparison, the United States has 3,708 nuclear warheads and Russia 4,489, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), which counts 410 for China.
However, it is the speed of Chinese catching up that worries Washington. With a classic Chinese army in full expansion and modernization, which is increasingly asserting itself on the international scene – in particular putting pressure on the island of Taiwan which Beijing claims.
Feb. 7, 2023: A China PLA fighter jet intercepted a US military aircraft over South China Sea, approaching a distance of 20 feet from US plane. pic.twitter.com/3a6OWSfFIH
— Ryan Chan 陈家奇(@ryankakiuchan) October 18, 2023
Chance or coincidence, two days before the publication of this report on Chinese nuclear power, the Pentagon published a long press release and broadcast alarming videos on the behavior ” very dangerous “ Chinese pilots who provoke and harass American planes reconnaissance in Asian international airspace.
Undersecretary of Defense for Asia Ely Ratner cited “more than 180 incidents” since fall 2021, i.e. “more than in the past decade”testifying to increased aggressiveness of the Chinese army. “These images are frightening,” acknowledges a European military attaché based in Tokyo, “because the slightest slip-up could cause tragedy and reprisals, and a potential armed conflict in the region. »
The United States has designated China as its main strategic challenge, being “the only rival who has the will and, increasingly, the capacity to change the international order”. For its part, Beijing in return accuses Washington of pursuing a policy “containment and encirclement” against China. Relations between Beijing and Washington are punctuated by strong tensions, as during the incident of a Chinese balloon flying over American territory at the start of the year.
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