On Tuesday, China criticized “baseless assumptions” in a US report that its nuclear arsenal will triple to 1,500 warheads by 2035, and accused Washington of “inflating” the threat this would pose.
The Pentagon also drew attention to the developments in the Chinese air force in its annual report on the Chinese military published a week ago. For Washington, Beijing represents its greatest military challenge.
According to the document, the United States estimates that China has more than 400 nuclear warhead reserves.
“If China continues at the pace of nuclear expansion, it will likely have around 1,500 warheads by 2035,” experts say.
However, an arsenal that would be far from the arsenal of the US and Russia with thousands of nuclear warheads.
According to Tan Kefei, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, the US report “distorts China’s defense policy and military strategy, consists of baseless assumptions about China’s military development. […] and inflates and exaggerates the alleged Chinese military threat”.
The report also says that China is adopting “more coercive and aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region”, a term the US uses to denote the changing reality of alliances in the Asia-Pacific. Especially around Taiwan.
According to Tan, such a statement “interferes heavily” in China’s internal affairs.
China claims this island as part of its territory, and Taiwan is a source of tension between Beijing and Washington.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.