Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – China reportedly has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads and will probably have more than 1,000 warheads by 2030. This was conveyed by the United States (US) Department of Defense or Pentagon in its annual report on Beijing’s military released on Thursday (19 /10/2023).

In the report, the Pentagon said there were more than 500 Chinese warheads in May 2023. This is an increase after in 2021 the Bamboo Curtain country was said to have 400 warheads.

“We see the PRC (People’s Republic of China) continuing to modernize, diversify and expand its nuclear forces quite rapidly,” a senior US official told reporters while briefing on the report. Channel News Asia (CNA).

“What they’re doing now if you compare it to what they were doing about a decade ago, it’s way beyond the scale and complexity,” he added.

The report added that the Chinese Navy has more than 370 ships and submarines. This is up from the 340 ships they had last year.

Expanding naval power is at the heart of President Xi Jinping’s efforts to make China the leading military power in the region. Where currently Beijing has the largest Navy in the world.

The report reiterated concerns about Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing considers its province. Even so, China’s number of nuclear weapons is still far lower than that of Russia and the US.

Russia is known to have up to 6 thousand warheads. Meanwhile Washington has 5 thousand warheads.

Relations between China and the US are currently tense with disputes over everything from Taiwan and China’s human rights record to its military activities in the South China Sea (SCS). But Washington emphasized that it is eager to revive communications with China.

It is noted that several ministers from both countries have held meetings. US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also planned to meet at the APEC Summit in San Francisco next November.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(sef/sef)