Nuclear weapons of China

China operates the world's fastest-growing nuclear arsenal. Its stockpile reached an estimated 620 warheads at the start of 2026 — up from about 500 two years earlier — and both US government and independent projections see it passing 1,000 by 2030. Roughly 350 new missile silos have been built across three desert fields at Yumen, Hami and Yulin, and some warheads are now believed to be mated to missiles at higher readiness, a break with decades of de-alerted posture.

The emerging triad combines DF-5, DF-31 and DF-41 intercontinental missiles, six Type 094 submarines with the JL-3 missile, and the H-6N bomber armed with an air-launched ballistic missile. Several new strategic systems were paraded in September 2025, including intercontinental-range additions to each leg.

Beijing has declared a no-first-use policy since its first test at Lop Nur in October 1964 and presents its arsenal as a minimum deterrent. China is a nuclear-weapon state under the NPT and has signed but not ratified the CTBT. It is party to no arms-reduction treaty and has so far declined to join trilateral limitation talks with Washington and Moscow.

The September 2025 anniversary parade rolled out new systems across every leg — an intercontinental missile shown alongside the DF-41, an air-launched ballistic missile for the H-6N, improved sea-launched weapons — and US assessments put the arsenal on a path toward 1,000 warheads by 2030 and perhaps 1,500 by 2035. The three silo fields appear structurally complete and are being progressively armed, with some warheads now assessed at higher readiness than China's historical de-mated norm. Beijing keeps no-first-use on the books while declining every invitation to arms-control talks, arguing its arsenal remains a fraction of American and Russian totals.