1 day ago
5
NEW DELHI: The Pentagon in its annual report to the US Congress on China's military expansion said that Beijing is pushing "to modernize, diversify, and expand its nuclear forces rapidly".
The report said that China's stockpile of operational nuclear warheads has increased from more than 500 to over 600 in 2024 and it will reach up to 1,000by 2030.
Citing intelligence and open source data, the report added that China would be able to "target more US cities, military facilities, and leadership sites than ever before in a potential nuclear conflict".
Beijing is also developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that will "significantly improve" its nuclear-capable missile forces and require increased nuclear warhead production, the Pentagon in its report said.
The country also "probably completed" the construction of three new silo fields in 2022, which would contain at least 300 new ICBM silos where it has loaded some of the missiles.
Beijing may also be exploring the development of conventionally armed intercontinental-range missile systems that could threaten the United States, it added.
Navy
The report said that the Chinese navy has more than 370 ships and submarines, up from the approximately 340 that the Pentagon said China had in its 2022 report.
The Pentagon also warned about the growing capabilities of the Chinese navy and said that it has continued to grow its ability to perform missions beyond the first island chain including Japan's Okinawa, Taiwan and Philippines.
Air Force
The People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s air force is "rapidly approaching technology" up to US standards, the report said.
It is "modernising and indigenising" its aircraft, as well as unmanned aerial systems.
Overseas footprint
Pentagon suggested that Beijing is looking to expand its overseas infrastructure and logistics to project and sustain military power at greater distances" beyond its base in Djibouti.
The PLA has likely considered having military logistics facilities in countries from Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh to Kenya and Nigeria, among others.
A global Chinese military logistics network could "disrupt" US operations, the report added.
Pressure on Taiwan
China "amplified" its diplomatic, political and military pressure against Taiwan in 2023, the report said.
The country "continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics", it added.
Citing data from Taiwan's ministry of national defense, the Pentagon reported an increase in Chinese airplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait centerline in 2023.
