China exceeded the forecasts of American analysts regarding the increase in the arsenal of nuclear weapons and the expansion of the navy.
What is known about China's increase in the number of nuclear weapons and the increase in the fleet
According to the publication, citing a report by analysts of the US Ministry of Defense, as of May of this year, the Chinese army had more than 500 nuclear warheads, which is about 100 more than the year before.
American military analysts expect that China will double the number of nuclear warheads by 2030, and by 2035, the Chinese army will have more than 1,500 of them.
Compared to what they were doing about ten years ago, what they are doing now is far greater in scale and complexity. An unnamed Pentagon official told reporters that they are expanding and investing in their land, sea and air nuclear delivery platforms, as well as the infrastructure needed to support a significant expansion of their nuclear forces.
How China plans to increase the production of nuclear weapons
A report from the US Department of Defense emphasizes that as part of the new nuclear weapons program, China will use new reactors and reprocessing plants to produce plutonium.
Officially, the People's Republic of China claims these capacities are needed for "peaceful purposes."
In addition, China is likely to have loaded "at least some" of its 300 intercontinental ballistic missiles into mines and is expanding its navy (the number of ships and submarines in service increased from 340 to 370 last year).
And China's annual defence budget probably grew by 7.1%.
