"Dangerous New Arms Race": Report says China added 100 New Warheads in 2 Years

China's nuke arsenal up to 600 warheads now, estimates global think tank in annual inventory of world's weapons China has added 100 new warheads in 2023 and 2024, resulting in an increase of its nuclear arsenal to at least 600, according to an estimate by international security think tank SIPRI, which has warned about the emergence of a "dangerous new arms race.

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Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday launched its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security. Key findings of the SIPRI Yearbook 2025 are that a dangerous new nuclear arms race is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are severely weakened. Nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states-the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel-continued intensive nuclear modernization programmes in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions, the report said. SIPRI Director Dan Smith warned about the challenges facing nuclear arms control and the prospects of a new nuclear arms race. "China is increasing its nuclear force steadily," Smith said, adding that the country could reach 1,000 warheads in seven or eight years. Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12 241 warheads in January 2025, about 9614 were in military stockp