Made in China: Chinese nuclear arsenal poses global danger

China continues to enlarge and develop its military potential. The chief of the missile troops of the Chinese Army, Gen. Jing Zhiyuan, announced both the quantitative and the qualitative modernization of the national strategic forces.

Photo: Made in China: Chinese nuclear arsenal poses global danger

The administration of the Chinese Communist Party set a goal during the 1990s to create the missile and nuclear forces of China which would match the nation’s position in the world. China’s missile troops have been through a number of significant changes during the recent decade. Spokespeople for the Chinese administration say that the nation’s missile troops were now based on information technologies. To put it in a nutshell, China is now capable of striking even the USA.

Why do the Chinese increase the capacity of the national nuclear arsenal?

The chairman of the Center for Military Forecasts of the Institute of Military and Political analysis, Anatoly Tsyganok, believes that China takes efforts to become a world superpower and decided to enlarge its strategic forces to substantiate its ambitions.

The initiative carries a direct threat to both Russia and the United States, although Russia can suffer from this danger more. Russia’s border on China runs for over 5,000 kilometers. China is an overpopulated nation which needs to get rid of excessive people. Russia seems to be the only way out at this point. China is in a very good shape now, and Russia is unable to put an end to its growing nuclear initiatives.

Its Dong Feng missile systems are capable of striking a blow on Moscow and St. Petersburg, which means that China can attack practically any Russian city.

Konstantin Sivkov of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems sticks to a different point of view. “China has up-to-date Dong Feng-10 and 12 intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying up to ten warheads each. Those are quite modern missiles, although their precision lacks behind Russian and US analogues. Their protection is not good enough to defend them against a preventive strike. To put it otherwise, they can strike a preventive blow, but are unable to make a retaliatory strike,” the expert told Pravda.ru.

China had nuclear forces before as well, but they have been united now. They include missile troops, nuclear submarines armed with ballistic missiles and a space surveillance group. Thus, China is now capable of striking Russia, the USA and Europe.

Washington and Beijing have serious discrepancies in the countries of Africa , Latin America and South-East Asia. China is not likely to use long-range missile in a possible conflict with Russia – medium-range Dong Feng-5 and Dong Feng-6 missiles will be enough.

Alexander Khramchikhin of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis believes that China has up to 50 Dong Feng intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking targets on the US territory. China is armed with several hundreds of medium-range missiles which were developed during the 1970s.

The country’s nuclear potential pales in comparison with that of the United States, although the nation has become a serious competition to Russia. Russia destroyed its medium-range missiles, whereas China was expanding its strategic stockpiles.

One shall expect a further increase of the Chinese strategic potential in the future. For example, China is actively working on nuclear submarines and long-range cruise missiles at the moment.

Sergei Balmasov