U.S. "More than 600 Chinese nuclear warheads...More than a thousand by 2030"

It is predicted that China will rapidly expand its nuclear armament and have more than a thousand nuclear warheads by 2030.

In a report on China's military strength released on the 18th local time, the U.S. Department of Defense evaluated that China has more than 600 nuclear warheads that can be operated as of mid-2024.

It also estimates that China will have more than a thousand nuclear warheads by 2030 and expand its nuclear power by at least 2035.

The Pentagon said China has some of the world's leading hypersonic missiles and has made progress in developing conventional or nuclear-warhead-equipped hypersonic missiles over the past two decades.

However, it analyzed that widespread corruption in senior leadership within the Chinese military in 2023 may have been revealed, preventing the Chinese military from advancing its modernization goals.

The Pentagon said the Chinese military is aiming to modernize by 2027 and is making uneven progress, but if it achieves its goal, it will be a more useful military tool for the CCP's efforts to reunify Taiwan.