How many nuclear weapons China has compared to US and Russia; how fast it is increasing its arsenal

New Delhi: China has long kept its nuclear programme away from public scrutiny and has released little information about the size of its arsenal or the details of its strategy. Beijing says its nuclear policy is based on self-defence and continues to stand by its “no first use” (NFU) policy, under which it says it will not be the first country to use nuclear weapons in a conflict. But at the same time, it has repeatedly turned down calls to join the United States and Russia in trilateral nuclear arms control talks. Western experts say that while Beijing maintains a policy of minimum deterrence, it has also spent the past few years modernising and increasing its nuclear capabilities at a rapid pace. According to assessments, China added around 100 new nuclear warheads each year between 2023 and 2025, although that pace has slowed over the past year. Estimates suggest an increase of about 20 warheads. Reports also say that China has strengthened its missile silo network to improve its second-strike capability, which refers to a country's ability to launch a nuclear response after suffering a nuclear attack. Missile silos are underground launch facilities used to store and fire intercontinental, intermediate-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. Beijing has also shown willingness to display its nuclear strength in public. In 2024, China launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. A year later, during a military parade marking the anniversary of its victory in the World War II, it publicly showcased its nuclear triad for the first time. A nuclear triad refers to the ability to deliver nuclear weapons from land, sea and air. The country does not disclose much information about its nuclear stockpile. Its official position is that its nuclear policy is “stable, consistent and practical” and intended mainly for self-defence. It says it has always kept its nuclear forces at the minimum level necessary to protect national security. Chinese officials also argue that the country has never taken part in a nuclear arms race and has instead contributed to world strategic stability. China rejects claims that it is increasing its nuclear arsenal and describes such assessments as “groundless speculation and propaganda”. The Chinese government continues to promote NFU policy. In 2024, Beijing introduced a new initiative based on its no first use policy and described it as a practical step towards implementing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also called on other nuclear powers to adopt the same approach. It proposed an agreement under which nuclear states would pledge not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear countries. Even so, Beijing has time and again rejected requests from Washington to take part in trilateral arms control talks with the United States and Russia. Those calls grew stronger after the New START treaty between Washington and Moscow expired in February. Chinese officials described such demands as “unfair, unnecessary and impractical”. They argue that the overwhelming majority of the world's nuclear weapons are still held by the United States and Russia and that both countries therefore have the main responsibility for nuclear disarmament. Despite China's secrecy, Western research groups say the country has upgraded its nuclear forces at a rapid pace. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China possessed about 620 nuclear warheads as of January 2026, up from 600 a year earlier. It said Beijing added 90 warheads between 2023 and 2024 and another 100 between 2024 and 2025. That marked the fastest growth in its nuclear stockpile over the past decade, although the pace has since eased. The US Department of Defense estimated in a 2024 report that China could possess more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. An earlier assessment published in 2022 suggested that the number could reach 1,500 by 2035, though that figure did not appear in the Pentagon's latest report. The SIPRI said that even if China crosses the 1,000-warhead mark by 2030, its arsenal would still amount to roughly one-quarter of the present nuclear stockpiles held by the United States and Russia. Referring to China's growing missile infrastructure, it said Beijing has deployed hundreds of missiles across three major silo fields in the country's northern region and is building around 30 additional silos in mountainous areas in the east. A Reuters report published in May described large-scale construction work in the deserts of China's Xinjiang region. The report said more than 80 launch pads, hardened bunkers and octagonal command centres had been built to support both silo-based and mobile missile systems. Analysts see these developments as strengthening China's second-strike capability. Chinese state media rarely comments on Western estimates about its nuclear arsenal. At the same time, Beijing has increasingly showcased its strategic weapons. In 2024, China launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, the first such test since 1980. The Ministry of Defence provided only limited details about the launch. Chinese media later reported that the DF-31AG missile struck its intended target around 2,000 kilometres southeast of Hawaii after travelling roughly 12,000 kilometres. Reports said the missile's range would allow it to reach the South Pole, all of Europe and major cities on the west coast of the United States. Chinese military expert Du Wenlong said the test was intended to send a strategic message and demonstrate Beijing’s logistical and mapping capabilities. He also argued that Chinese missiles could penetrate existing air defence and anti-missile systems. Military analysts in Taiwan offered a different reading. They said that the launch came at a time when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was carrying out a large anti-corruption campaign and removing several senior officers from the Rocket Force. In 2025, during military celebrations for the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan, China displayed its nuclear triad for the first time. Chinese media described it as the country's “ultimate strategic weapon”. The display included land-, sea- and air-based nuclear delivery systems. Among them were JL-series missiles, submarine-launched intercontinental missiles and ground-based systems such as the DF-31 and the DF-61. China also introduced the DF-5C, a new liquid-fuel intercontinental nuclear missile that Chinese reports say has the range to strike targets anywhere in the world. Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world news on Zee News.