New Delhi: United States State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday said “The United States is concerned about China’s accelerated build-up of its nuclear arsenal. Some reports and other developments suggest that China’s nuclear arsenal will grow more quickly and to a higher level than perhaps previously anticipated.”
According to the report, China is building more than 100 nuclear missile silos.
On China’s nuclear arsenal, Price said that “It raises questions about Beijing’s intent and it reinforces the need for arms control measures.”
The spokesperson further urged Beijing to work together with the US on arms control to avoid arms races. “This rapid build-up has become more difficult to hide and it highlights how the PRC appears again to be deviating from decades of nuclear strategy based around minimum deterrence,” Price added.
A statement from the Washington government came after the US media published a special report on China’s 100 new missile silos construction in a desert area located in the western part of China.
The Beijing government is steadily increasing its military strength, and power – which could be a huge challenge for the European countries and the US in the future.
China modernizing, expanding its nuclear weapon inventory Commercial satellite images obtained by researchers at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California have shown that work is underway at several sites in China’s arid Gansu province.
According to the media report, The 119 nearly identical construction sites contain features that mirror those seen at existing launch facilities for China’s arsenal of nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. If the acquisition of over 100 new missile silos is completed, it will represent a historic shift for China, which is believed to possess a relatively modest stockpile of 250 to 350 nuclear weapons.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in its special report said “At the start of 2021, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) possessed an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons. The report further said that China is working towards modernization and expansion of its nuclear weapon inventory.
Some international political experts have already predicted that “China could be a new challenge for all countries of the world. China is consistently increasing its military power and strength – which could be a very tough challenge for western countries. All nations should work together to stop China’s power.”