Washington, DC:
Every year, the Pentagon prepares a detailed special report on China’s rapidly growing military power and submits it to the U.S. Congress, which then conducts a thorough review. The Pentagon follows China’s military activities very closely and tracks its progress on various parameters every year.
This year’s report revealed some shocking things about China’s nuclear weapons stockpile. At a time when the world is focused on denuclearization and disarmament, Beijing has been found to be the most aggressive in increasing its weapons stockpiles. In 2024 alone, at least 100 nuclear warheads were added to its arsenal.
The Pentagon report also emphasized that China now hopes to accelerate the pace of producing more nuclear weapons and exceed the 1,000 nuclear weapons mark by 2030.
The report said: “China has the world’s leading hypersonic missile arsenal and has promoted the development of conventional and nuclear-laden hypersonic missile technology.” The report also pointed out that China will continue to expand its nuclear arsenal until at least 2035.
Confidentiality and Deception Policy
China keeps everything related to military and national defense strictly confidential. It never divulges any information about its army, air force or navy or the weapons under its control. Although Beijing officially releases its defense budget every year, the Pentagon believes these are not true figures.
In 2024, Beijing announced annual defense spending of $224 billion, but Pentagon reports show that China’s spending is at least 40% higher than its official announcement. This puts the defense budget at between $350 billion and $450 billion, roughly half the U.S. defense budget (more than $880 billion).
The Pentagon study also highlights Beijing’s broader focus on further modernizing its military by developing a new range of missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, or intercontinental ballistic missiles (both conventional and nuclear) that “could strike Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. mainland”.
The Chinese Navy is already the largest navy in the world, with an announced fleet size of more than 370 ships and submarines. This is significantly larger than the U.S. Navy’s fleet of 290 ships and submarines.
The Chinese Air Force is also a force to be reckoned with, as it has more than 1,200 fourth-generation military aircraft, on par with some of the most advanced fighter jets built by the United States and its European allies. The overall strength of the Chinese Air Force is close to 2,000 aircraft, which is a huge scale.
U.S.-China Defense Relations
Although there is a basic defense negotiation structure between the two countries and low-level communication does occur, China refuses to engage in any high-level dialogue or cooperation with the United States.
Last month, when U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin contacted Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun for a meeting during the Laos Defense Summit, the latter declined. Secretary Austin called it “unfortunate” and said the attitude was “a setback for the entire region.”
Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed two China hardliners in his administration—Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Mike Walz as U.S. National Security Advisor.
The Chinese government imposed sanctions on Marco Rubio and banned him from re-entering the country in 2020 – something Beijing will need to reconsider when he becomes secretary of state.
In the weeks before the Trump administration takes office, NSA official-elect Mike Waltz has urged President-elect Trump to “urgently end conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to deal with the greater threat from the Chinese Communist Party.” .