"China's explosive growth and modernization of its nuclear and conventional forces can only be what I describe as breathtaking. Frankly, that word, breathtaking, may not be enough." — Admiral Charles Richard, Commander of US Strategic Command, Space and Missile Defense Symposium, August 12, 2021.
"There's been a lot of speculation out there as to why they are doing all of this. I just want to say right now, it really doesn't matter why... What matters is they are building the capability to execute any plausible nuclear employment strategy — the last brick in the wall of a military capable of coercion." — Admiral Charles Richard, August 12, 2021.
While China's official nuclear policy is that of "minimum deterrence" and a "no-first-use policy", there is no reason why the international community should trust such officially communicated doctrines. China continues to strengthen its military space capabilities, despite its public stance against the weaponization of space. China is widely known for breaking its pledges, as evidenced by, among other things, its militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea, or its crackdown on Hong Kong in contravention of the UN registered treaty on the territory.
"Americans should know as clearly as the Chinese do about what level of nuclear power China really needs to build. It would be a nuclear force strong enough to make the US -- from the military to the government – fear...." — Asia Times, quoting Global Times, May 11, 2020.
"Their [CCP's] actions have long belied a posture more aggressive than their official policy — you've got to look at what they do, not what they say." — Admiral Charles Richard, August 12, 2021.
China is significantly increasing its nuclear weapons capabilities. The nuclear buildup must be seen in the context of the Chinese Communist Party's ambition to have, in President Xi Jinping's own words, "a world class military", as well as its ambition to achieve global domination. Pictured: DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles at a military parade in Beijing on October 1, 2019. (Photo by Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)
China is significantly increasing its nuclear weapons capabilities. Several recent reports show that China is constructing 120 missile silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) near Yumen in Gansu, up to 110 silos near Hami in the eastern part of the Xinjian region and up to 40 silos in Ordos in Inner Mongolia. ICBMs are defined as missiles with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometers, and primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery.
"The silo construction at Yumen and Hami constitutes the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever," according to Matt Korda and Hans Kristensen, in a report on the Hami field for the Federation of American Scientists. "All told... discoveries indicate that China might be constructing nearly 300 new missile silos," they wrote in September.
Continue Reading Article
No comments:
Post a Comment