Why China building more nukes is worrying everyone
Team TOI Plus
TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Jun 18, 2025, 17:42 IST IST
With 600 warheads already and 1,500 in sight, China is changing its nuclear strategy, according to a new global report. It also suggests that this is pushing India, the US, and the rest of the world into a dangerous new arms race without rules, transparency, or deterrence guardrails
A new global assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warns that the world is entering a new and more dangerous nuclear age, as China continues to expand its arsenal at an unprecedented pace and regional conflicts risk tipping into nuclear crises. The report, released on June 16 as part of the SIPRI Yearbook 2025, notes that China has added around 100 warheads to its stockpile since January 2024, bringing its total to 600. Alarmingly, its arsenal is already more than triple India's current stockpile of 180 and well ahead of Pakistan 's 170.
While the overall number of nuclear warheads globally has decreased slightly due to the dismantling of older weapons by the US and Russia , the number of operational and modernised nuclear warheads has only risen. SIPRI estimates that of the approximately 12,241 nuclear warheads in existence at the start of 2025, over 3,900 are deployed with operational forces, and more than 2,100 are in a state of high alert on ballistic missiles.
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