China Will Have 1,000 Nukes by 2030, US Defense Agency Says

The Chinese regime’s growing nuclear arsenal will potentially ‘destabilize the status quo over the next decade,’ the agency warned.

China's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles at a military parade in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

Communist China’s officials will likely be more confident in countering the United States over the next decade, as the regime is pursuing the “most rapid expansion” of its nuclear arsenal in history, according to a new assessment published by the Pentagon’s intelligence agency on Oct. 23.

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said in its 2024 “Nuclear Challenges” report that China currently has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads and will have at least 1,000 by 2030. These numbers remain on par with past Pentagon estimates.