America’s enemies are on the move. And the Biden-Harris administration seems poised to do nothing about it.
And now China leveled a nuclear threat against the US that Democrats can’t ignore.
China is on a fast track to double its nuclear arsenal to 1,000 warheads over the next five years, a new Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report reveals.
Back in 2020, the DIA had estimated China held around 200 nuclear warheads, projecting that number to double by the decade’s end.
Now, the agency reports China has already amassed 500 warheads and is on course to exceed 1,000 by 2030.
“China is undergoing the most rapid expansion and ambitious modernization of its nuclear forces in history,” the report notes, though it acknowledges that China’s nuclear capabilities still trail those of the U.S. and Russia.
Over the weekend, China also conducted another “combat control” near Taiwan, flexing its military might in response to a $2 billion U.S. arms deal with Taiwan, which includes an advanced air defense system recently tested in Ukraine.
Taiwan’s defense ministry reported 19 Chinese aircraft, including Su-30 fighter jets, conducting “joint combat readiness patrols” around the island, supported by Chinese warships.
The report aligns with the Pentagon’s 2023 assessment of China’s military growth.
Russia currently holds about 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 2,000 non-strategic ones, while China remains behind.
Following China in the nuclear arms race are France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea.
“Compared to the PLA’s nuclear modernization efforts a decade ago, current efforts dwarf previous attempts in both scale and complexity,” the report adds.
U.S. officials have tried repeatedly to engage China in discussions on its nuclear expansion but report no clear answers from Beijing.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has intensified its competition for global power with the United States.
While Beijing has traditionally maintained a “no first use” (NFU) nuclear policy and has called for other nuclear powers to adopt a similar stance, the new report suggests that “Chinese nuclear thinkers could be reconsidering their long-standing view that nuclear war is uncontrollable.”
According to the DIA, if a conflict over Taiwan—regarded by Beijing as Chinese territory—escalated to an existential threat, China might consider nuclear options.
The report suggests China’s confidence in its military capacity could lead it to accept “greater risk” as its nuclear strategy matures, including exploring low-yield nuclear warheads intended for “proportional” response scenarios.
With “PLA officers downplaying the risks of imperfect information management during crises,” the report highlights a troubling scenario where Beijing, bolstered by growing capabilities, might misjudge its adversaries’ responses and take on greater risks.
The Pentagon faces a pivotal deadline in 2027, the year Chinese leadership has set as the goal for possessing the capability to invade Taiwan.
Amid mounting nuclear anxieties globally, Iran’s nuclear ambitions continue, with Tehran rapidly expanding its uranium enrichment, though the report asserts that Iran “almost certainly” has yet to achieve nuclear weapons capability.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s recent support for Russia in Ukraine has raised concerns that Moscow could be aiding Pyongyang’s nuclear programs, further complicating the nuclear landscape and prompting a closer global watch on these intensifying nuclear dynamics.
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