China to increase its nuclear arms capabilities due to war-waging-hostile US?

WORLD NUCLEAR WEAPON STOCKPILE
Nine countries in the world possess a total of 14,900 nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia account for 93 percent of them. Since their peak in the mid-1980’s, global arsenals have shrunk by over two-thirds. More countries have given up weapons and programs in the past 30 years than have tried to acquire them. The direction is positive, but when you are fleeing a forest fire it is not just direction but speed that matters. Ploughshares Fund is committed to reducing nuclear threats before it is too late … for more, go to https://www.ploughshares.org/world-nuclear-stockpile-report 

China to increase its nuclear arms capabilities due to war-waging-hostile US?

KUALA LUMPUR (February 2018): The US has clearly stepped up its animosity with China and Russia based on recent regular reports posted by pro-American international news agencies.

Every day, there are reports bashing China and Russia - on the global economy and defence.

Apparently, China is feeling the war-waging US’ military threat, prompting the communist military to recommend that the state ups its nuclear deterrence capabilities.

I Love Malaysia-China Silk Road notes that China’s possible increase in nuclear power weapons would not be good for global stability.

But, China has no choice but to check the marauding US with a long history of waging wars and occupying sovereign states post-World War ll.

Although China’s nuclear weapons capability is far short of the US, the Americans must not take their superiority for granted.

Unlike pre-World War ll when China was easily occupied by foreign powers, the China of today is entirely different in terms of economy and technology.

Whatever shortfall China may have against the US, it is compensated by new technologies and a huge military.

And, in the event of WWlll, no one wins - this world or planet loses.

Here’s what Reuters reported as posted by The Star Online:

"Chinese military paper urges increase in nuclear deterrence capabilities

WORLD
Tuesday, 30 Jan 2018
6:28 PM MYT
 

BEIJING (Reuters) - China must strengthen its nuclear deterrence and counter-strike capabilities to keep pace with the developing nuclear strategies of the United States and Russia, the official paper of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration may be pursuing the development of new nuclear weaponry and could explicitly leave open the possibility of nuclear retaliation for major non-nuclear attacks, according to a draft of a pending Nuclear Posture Review leaked by the Huffington Post.

This "unprecedented" move by the United States, combined with continuous quality improvements of nuclear arsenals in both the U.S. and Russia, means that both countries place greater importance on deterrence and real combat usability, the commentary in the PLA Daily said.

"In the roiling unpredictability of today's world, to upgrade the capability of our country's deterrence strategy, to support our great power position... we must strengthen the reliability and trustworthiness of our nuclear deterrence and nuclear counterstrike capabilities," it said.

The article was written by two researchers from the PLA Academy of Military Science, a top research institute directly responsible to China's Central Military Commission.

A change was necessary despite China having developed nuclear weapons to avoid bullying from nuclear powers, the paper said, adding that China would always stick to the principle of "no first use" and a final goal of eliminating nuclear weapons.

Neither Russia nor the United States is abandoning nuclear weapons as each adopts new high-tech weapons capabilities, the paper said, pointing to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office's estimate of maintenance and modernisation of the U.S. nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years costing more than $1.2 trillion.

This spend, the paper said, has led to a corresponding Russian military modernisation program, aiming to boost the share of advanced armaments in its nuclear triad to at least 90 percent by 2021.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is overseeing an ambitious military modernisation programme, including developing advanced nuclear-capable missiles. China carried out its first nuclear weapons test only in 1964.

Trump's strong embrace of his predecessor President Barack Obama's nuclear modernisation programme has led some former senior U.S. government officials, legislators and arms control specialists to warn of risks from the U.S. stoking a new arms race.

A U.S. national defence strategy released on Jan. 19 shifted priorities to put what Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called a "great power competition" with China and Russia at the heart of the country's military strategy.

(Reporting by Christian Shepherd; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)"

BMI RESEARCH | CHINESE NUCLEAR POWER FLEET SEEN OVERTAKING US WITHIN DECADE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2017
China’s rapid nuclear expansion will result in it overtaking the U.S. as the nation with the largest atomic power capacity by 2026, according to BMI Research. The world’s second biggest economy will almost triple its nuclear capacity to nearly 100 gigawatts by 2026, making it the biggest market globally, analysts said in a note dated Jan. 27. The nation added about 8 gigawatts of nuclear power last year, boosting its installed capacity to about 34 million kilowatts, according to BMI. China has committed to boosting nuclear power, which accounted for about 1.7 percent of its total generation in 2015, to help reduce reliance on coal, which accounts for about two-thirds of the country’s primary energy. The nation has 20 reactors currently under construction, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Another 176 are either planned or proposed, far more than any other nation, according to the World Nuclear Association. “We expect growth to continue and China to emerge as one of the largest nuclear markets globally in terms of total installed capacity over the coming decade, as the huge pipeline of reactors that are planned, proposed or under construction gradually comes online,” Georgina Hayden, head of energy and renewable research at BMI, said by e-mail. “Furthermore, by expanding its own domestic nuclear sector, the country will develop the expertise to export nuclear capabilities and nuclear technology abroad.” … for more, go to https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/bmi-research-chinese-nuclear-power-fleet-seen-overtaking-us-within-decade.html