China's nuclear arsenal growing 'faster than any other country': report

China is developing its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country in the world, according to a recent report.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) launched its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security on Monday.

The SIPRI Yearbook 2024 reveals that the number and types of nuclear weapons under development have increased significantly over the past year.

The report said that although China's pace of nuclear missile development is quite rapid, it remains far behind the United States and Russia, which continue to be the leading forces in this field.

Growth of China's stock of nuclear missiles

According to the report, China's nuclear arsenal increased from 410 warheads in January 2023 to 500 in January 2024, and it is expected to continue growing. That's an increase of about 20% in a single year, which is huge.

The report also mentions that the Asian giant may change its nuclear weapons policy, as it has probably also started deploying a few nuclear warheads on missiles in peacetime.

He warns that by the end of the current decade, “China could potentially possess at least as many intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) as Russia or the United States.”

“China is developing its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country,” said Hans M. Kristensen, research associate in SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction program and director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). ).

However, he adds: “But in almost all nuclear-armed states there are either plans or significant willingness to increase nuclear forces. »

Another big revelation from the report is that China's close ally, North Korea, has assembled around 50 nuclear warheads. The SIPRI Yearbook mentions that the country has enough “fissile material to reach a total of 90 nuclear warheads”.

“There is growing concern that North Korea intends to use these weapons very early in a conflict,” said Matt Korda, a research associate in SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction program and a senior fellow for the Nuclear Information Project of the Federation of American Scientists. .

The rest of the world is also in the nuclear race

The SIPRI report states that Russia tops the list of military stockpiles with 4,380 nuclear weapons and the United States comes second with 3,708 weapons. Both figures do not include reprocessed warheads that countries are dismantling.

Although the United Kingdom does not appear to have increased its nuclear arsenal over the past year, its stockpile of nuclear warheads is likely to increase in the future, according to the report. It also mentions that the country will not publicly disclose its nuclear weapons in its possession, the deployment of its warheads or other relevant data.

India's nuclear arsenal has also seen a slight expansion over the past year and the country is now working to build up its stockpile of long-range weapons capable of hitting targets in China.

Israel, although it does not acknowledge having nuclear weapons in its arsenal, is also “in the process of modernizing its nuclear arsenal and appears to be modernizing its plutonium production reactor site at Dimona.”

Ultimately, France, with 290 nuclear weapons in possession, and Pakistan, with 170, are the last two countries whose nuclear weapons stockpiles have not increased over the past year.

He also mentions that all countries are working on longer-range and faster delivery options for their nuclear warheads.