US Senate warns of China's nuclear capabilities hours before Xi-Trump summit
The US Senate Armed Services Committee issued a warning report on China's expanding nuclear arsenal hours before the Xi-Trump summit in Beijing. The report says Beijing's rapid modernisation is increasing US reliance on strategic deterrence. Beijing rejected the report, calling it a 'Cold War mindset'.
The US Senate Armed Services Committee published a warning report on China's expanding nuclear arsenal just hours before Donald Trump's summit meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing. The report shares an estimate that China could have more than 1,000 strategic warheads by 2030 and also underscores progress in hypersonic vehicles and submarine capabilities.
The committee's Republican chair called for the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile programme and B-21 bomber procurement to be accelerated so that the United States can renew its strategic deterrence. Democratic members argued that diplomacy should be used as a complementary tool and said arms-control work should be resumed.
China's Foreign Ministry rejected the report sharply, describing it as a 'revival of Cold War mentality'. Beijing said its own nuclear policy remained defensive in nature and that it had never engaged in an arms race. The White House said the timing of the report was not intended to set the agenda of the summit.
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