China issued a robust response on Friday, strongly rejecting the latest report from the U.S. Defense Department, which claimed that Beijing possesses over 500 operational nuclear warheads.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, characterized the report as "nonfactual and biased" during a regular briefing.
According to a transcript published on the Foreign Ministry website, Mao Ning stated, "It calls China a threat only to find a convenient pretext for the US to sustain its military hegemony. China is strongly opposed to this".
This comes after the Pentagon, on Thursday, asserted that China currently has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads and is projected to reach 1,000 by 2030.
"In 2022, Beijing continued its rapid nuclear expansion, and DoD estimates that the PRC (People's Republic of China) possessed more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023—on track to exceed previous projections," it said in its annual report on China's military and security developments.
However, Mao said that China is firmly committed to a defensive nuclear strategy and has always kept their nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required by national security.
"We have no intention to get involved in any nuclear arms race with any country," she said. "For any country, as long as they do not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against China, they have nothing to worry about being threatened by China's nuclear weapons," she added.
Mao accused the U.S. of making enormous investments to upgrade its nuclear triad, advancing the forward deployment of strategic forces, and strengthening extended deterrence for its allies.
"These policies and acts heighten the risk of a nuclear arms race and nuclear conflict, and will only adversely affect the global strategic security environment," Mao said.
