Is China Building More Nuclear Weapons?

Is China Building More Nuclear Weapons?

Video Summary

China has been a nuclear power for over 50 years, with its first nuclear test in 1964. Unusually, it has never built up a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons, unlike larger powers such as Russia and the US, which are estimated to have around 8,000 and 6,000 nuclear weapons respectively. China, on the other hand, is estimated to have around 300 nuclear weapons, a mere fraction of the others. This has led to the concept of “minimum deterrence,” where a country has just enough nuclear weapons to deter an enemy from attacking, but not enough to spark a full-scale arms race.

However, satellite imagery has recently revealed that China has built 120 new nuclear missile silos in the past six months, which could more than double its current arsenal. This has led to speculations that its concept of minimum deterrence might be changing.

The history of nuclear weapons is marked by a significant buildup during the Cold War, from just 100 in the early 1950s to 70,000 by the end of the 1980s. This buildup led to the development of new technologies, such as accurate guidance systems, which enabled a single warhead to hit a target, making a large arsenal unnecessary. The concept of minimum deterrence, which arms control advocates have always pushed for, is to have just enough nuclear weapons to still be able to frighten an enemy from attacking.

The US and Russia have pursued different approaches to nuclear warfare, with the US building a variety of land-based, sea-based, and air-based nuclear forces, while Russia has focused on ballistic missiles and submarines. China, on the other hand, has built a solely defensive nuclear force, with a focus on having a survivable and accurate nuclear force.

The key to a successful nuclear force is making it survivable, which China has achieved by building a nuclear triad of land-based, sea-based, and air-based forces. It has also focused on improving the accuracy of its missiles, particularly switching from older, liquid-fueled rockets to solid-fueled ones. With increased accuracy, a smaller arsenal is sufficient to deter an enemy, making China’s nuclear deterrent credible and improving.

It’s likely that China’s arsenal will grow slightly in the near future, but nowhere near the scale of its larger counterparts. As the concept of minimum deterrence continues to evolve, countries like China are focusing on building more modern and accurate nuclear forces, rather than accumulating large arsenals of weapons.


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