This trend is likely to continue.
Chinese nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding and can match American and Russian weapons.
This is said in a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published today, June 17.
As the report notes, the number of operational nuclear warheads in the world is growing every year. Among the leaders is China, whose arsenal of active intercontinental nuclear missiles rivals those of the United States and Russia.
“We continue to see an annual increase in the number of operational nuclear warheads. This trend appears to continue and is likely to accelerate in the coming years and is of great concern,” SIPRI Director Dan Smith said in a statement .
The Institute estimates that China's nuclear weapons stockpile has grown from 410 to 500 operational warheads by 2023.
“Its aggressive deployment could put it on par with other countries' active weapons in the coming years,” predicts SIPRI.
Previously, the US Department of Defense announced that over the next decade China will double its arsenal of nuclear warheads, of which China currently has about 200 units.
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