On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has a “deep concern” over the “rapid growth” of China’s nuclear arsenal, according to the State Department. He made the comments during a meeting with foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“The Secretary also noted deep concern with the rapid growth of the PRC’s nuclear arsenal which highlights how Beijing has sharply deviated from its decades-old nuclear strategy based on minimum deterrence,” the State Department said in a readout of the meeting.
China’s nuclear arsenal is only a fraction of what the US and Russia possess. Current estimates put China’s arsenal between 300 and 350 warheads, while the US and Russia each have around 6,000. China hawks are predicting that Beijing will double its arsenal over the next 10 years, but that would still fall very short of what Washington and Moscow have.
The best thing the US could do to rein in China’s nuclear weapons is work with Russia to dismantle a significant number of warheads. Until that happens, China would have no interest in participating in nuclear arms control agreements. But that is unlikely to happen since the US has an over $1 trillion plan to modernize its nuclear triad.
Russia has responded to US calls for China to be involved in arms control by suggesting the UK and France should too since their arsenals are similar to Beijing’s. Earlier this year, Britain announced it is increasing its stockpile and setting the cap of nuclear warheads to 260, up from the current limit of 180.
The State Department said Blinken also told the ASEAN that China should cease what he called “provocative” behavior in the South China Sea and raised concerns about “ongoing human rights abuses” in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet. As part of its anti-China strategy, the US is looking to boost cooperation with Southeast Asian nations.
I’m sure that the Chinese government expresses “deep concern” over Amerikkka’s nuclear weapons stockpile as well, being as that we are the only nation to actually deploy them, against civilian populations no less.
Amerikkka doesn’t get to decide who has or obtains nuclear weapons, the great deterrent against US attacks. Just ask North Korea.
True, it is a great deterrence, but I blame Japan for their refusal to surrender for their starting the war and not realizing when they had no chance of winning. Japan leadership offered up their people for this great destruction and would have happily used the bomb on the USA if it had the opportunity.
Oh please, Jay. Japan was finished and Truman knew it. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were civilian centers and civilians should never bear the brunt of war.
Please read some of the articles on this website concerning the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.
33 You are mistaken.
Mistaken about what…???
How so?? both attacks were war crimes deserving of a Nuremberg trial in their own right. Japan was finished before the attacks. Oh how US history told by the state is just a brazen lie on most accounts…
Only 350 nukes……land just 5 of them on the USA and it is finished as a nation!
Get real!
Then what would Amerikkkan nukes do to China? Or aren’t the Chinese human beings as well?
It is NOT China who would potentially begin a nuclear exchange; it would be the US and Wittle Buddy Israel.
33, I don’t doubt that at all.
Agreed.
First, China probably has more than stated. Why tell the US how many you have just so they can find them?
Second. As you noted, 350 is more than enough for the US. 20 years ago, just a few buildings fell down in New York and the US was paralyzed with fear.
Can you imagine the US if some small nukes took out just Washington DC and some nuclear power stations scattered across the US? The electrical grid would fail immediately and spread nuclear waste for miles. The lack of any electric power anywhere combined with no federal civilian or military command would see the US fall into complete chaos within hours.
Once Americans knew the power might not ever come back online, Americans would kill each other in numbers far greater than any invasion force could ever achieve.
This is exactly how I feel, and why I am so greatly disturbed over the USA reckless policy on electrical generation and redundancy. For example coal electric generating plants should not be torn down but held in reserve and kept capable. As to people killing each other soon after electricity is cut off,,you can bet on it, you are so right. 🙁
Blinken cites the Chinese being provocative in the South China sea. Meanwhile, the USA is being provocative everywhere in the world.
What hubris.
No Nukes 4 No 1 ever again
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Correct me if i am wrong but wasn`t it the Americans who dropped 2 Nuclear Bombs on Japan , yet the Chinese have never used a N.B in anger , the fact is the only country that should be feared is America.
jesse, you are wrong, humans will be humans and if Japan had the bomb before USA they would have done the same. Yes, today the USA should be feared as DC is now the earthly seat of 80% of the evil in the world,,so sad and time to clean and purge DC.