American general warns that China’s nuclear arsenal is expanding quickly and could pose a threat to the US

American General Anthony Cotton said that the US may be in danger from China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal.

According to The Singapore Post, China is still far from becoming a threat to the US, but General Anthony Cotton warned the Senate Armed Services Committee about the danger of China’s rapidly expanding nuclear weapons.

China’s quick construction of missile silos, which house its missiles, is seen in recent geographical developments in the country. As recently as 2021, 229 additional fields were being built in Beijing at Yumen and Hami.

According to the sources, China possesses 350 ready-to-use warheads in total, 248 of which are ballistic missiles for use on land and 72 of which are ballistic missiles for use on the sea.

Along with its strategic nuclear submarines, China’s nuclear arsenal has seen an increase in the number of road-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). Furthermore, enemy nations are cautious of Beijing’s intentions as a result of the installation of more than 200 additional missile silos on the Chinese mainland. According to The Singapore Post, this most recent increase surpasses the nation’s non-threatening total of 20 silo-based ICBMs that it has maintained for the past 20 years.

China’s nuclear programme coincides with several international tensions, including North Korea’s recent aggressive nuclear testing; the unwillingness of nations to disarm their nuclear arsenals; the 2019 termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and Russia; and most worrisomely, the tense Taiwan situation.

Ties between China and the US deteriorated following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. That trip infuriated China’s ruling Communist Party, which, despite never having had control over Taiwan, sees the island as part of its territory. In response, China’s Communist Party conducted unprecedented military exercises around the island, sent warplanes across the Taiwan Strait, and fired missiles over the main island.

The article states that Xi is anticipated to announce significant plans for the CCP Centenary in 2049, some of which may include absorbing Taiwan to complete the motherland’s unification.

According to a source, China can reinforce its nuclear force in the face of significant ambiguity over its goals due to the country’s abrupt shift in nuclear objectives, which occurred without any formal acknowledgement of a doctrinal change.