China Could Finally Reveal Just How Big Its Nuclear Stockpile Is
The joint statement released concurrently by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—or the “P5”—on Monday committed to preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons. China, of which the estimated warhead count remains dwarfed by those of the United States and Russia, is hesitant to discuss a reduction of its own arsenal, the exact nature of which remains opaque. According to October 2021 estimates by the Federation of American Scientists, China wields the world’s third-largest number of nuclear warheads at 350, but former Cold War arms-race rivals Russia and the U....