China expanding nuclear arsenal ‘faster than any other country’

China is expanding its nuclear arsenal “faster than any other country” and could have as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as the US or Russia by the end of the decade.

Beijing now has at least 500 nuclear warheads, up from 410 a year ago, according to an annual report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Sweden-based think tank focused on conflict and arms control.

For the first time, China has likely begun deploying a small number of them – estimated to be around 24 – on high operational alert, ready for launch at a moment’s notice, it added.

China is investing heavily in modern weaponry, including its nuclear arsenal, and could have as many as 1,000 warheads by 2030.

By January 2024, the United States and Russia had amassed 3,708 and 4,380 nuclear warheads respectively, accounting for the majority of the global total of just over 12,000 weapons.