US-China Relations

China Has 500 Operational Nuclear Warheads: Pentagon

Communist China now has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, the Pentagon has said, reaching the ominous benchmark two years ahead of previous estimates.
China Has 500 Operational Nuclear Warheads: Pentagon
China's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles lined up during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
Andrew Thornebrooke
Andrew Thornebrooke
National Security Correspondent
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China now has more than 500 nuclear warheads and is likely enhancing its capability to directly strike the continental United States, according to a new Pentagon report.

The estimate, provided in the Pentagon’s annual China Military Power Report, means that China has achieved a key milestone in its nuclear expansion and modernization two years earlier than previously anticipated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

Andrew Thornebrooke
Andrew Thornebrooke
National Security Correspondent
Andrew Thornebrooke is a national security correspondent for The Epoch Times covering China-related issues with a focus on defense, military affairs, and national security. He holds a master's in military history from Norwich University.
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