China rejects Pentagon claims Beijing planning to double nuclear warhead stockpile

The report by the US Defense Department, which claims that Beijing plans to double the number of its nuclear warheads, is biased, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The statement by ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, followed the release of the Pentagon's annual report to Congress on China's military operations on Tuesday.

Among other things, the paper claimed that Beijing's nuclear warhead stockpile, which is currently estimated in the low 200s, "is projected to at least double in size" over the next decade.

China's goal is to achieve a "nuclear triad," which includes developing a nuclear capable air-launched ballistic missile, while also modernizing ground and sea-based nuclear capabilities, it added.

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