China is considering tripling its stockpile of nuclear warheads to 900 by 2035 as tensions with the US over Taiwan are expected to continue to rise, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday, citing Chinese sources familiar with the matter.

According to Chinese sources, the plan, drawn up by the People’s Liberation Army (China’s armed forces), has already been approved by President Xi Jinping, the supreme commander of the armed forces, who seeks to strengthen Beijing’s deterrence against Washington.

As the Communist Party has strengthened China’s military capabilities, the US said last year that Beijing intends to increase its nuclear warheads to 1,500 by 2035, when it aims to complete its military modernization process.

Some foreign experts have warned that if China achieves its goal of modernizing its military, the Asian country may abandon its no-first-use nuclear weapons policy.

In November 2022, the leadership of the Chinese armed forces confirmed the importance of lethal capabilities, noting that Russia’s powerful nuclear deterrent prevented a direct confrontation between NATO and Moscow, despite its aggression against Ukraine, the quoted sources said.

The number of nuclear warheads China possesses will rise to 550 in 2027, when the country’s armed forces celebrate their 100th anniversary, and to 900 in 2035, according to the same sources.

According to estimates by the International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Stockholm, Russia has 5,977 nuclear warheads, while the United States has 5,428. (Agerpress)

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