China’s growing nuclear arsenal poses a far greater threat to America’s homeland than its spy balloon, according to an opinion piece written by Helen Raleigh, a senior contributor at The Federalist. Raleigh maintained that the speed at which China is building up its nuclear arsenal should be a source of concern for everyone.
According to Raleigh, China’s motive for rapidly building up its nuclear warhead is that the CCP has seen how Russia’s possession of nuclear weapons has prevented the U.S. and western powers from directly engaging Russia in a military conflict as the war in Ukraine rages on. Raleigh maintained that China hopes its nuclear weapon stockpiles would serve as deterrence to Taiwan’s allies Should China’s People’s Liberation Army invade the tiny nation.
China’s Growing Nuclear Arsenal Is A Bigger Threat Than A Spy Balloon, And The U.S. Helped Make It Possible https://t.co/a2YY2frEiz
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) February 9, 2023
China currently has 350 warheads, compared to Russia’s 5,977 and the U.S.’s 5,428. AU.S. Department of Defense report predicted that China could possess as many as 1,500 nuclear wards by 2035.
The pentagon also told Congress in January that China has more land-based, fixed and mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers than the U.S.
“We’ve watched as they have built more ships; we’ve watched as they become more aggressive, and try to integrate their military services to a finer degree than they were before,” said National Security Council strategic coordinator John Kirb. “All of this is concerning, which is why the president has made it clear that China was going to remain as a significant challenge for us in the Indo-Pacific.”
Latest reports suggest that China’s spy balloon, which flew over the continental U.S. last week, was equipped with antennas capable of collecting communications signals and other equipment capable of gathering intelligence.
China has demanded that the U.S. return debris recovered from the site where the balloon was brought down.
The Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye says the US should hand over the debris of their balloon to China because “It is the property of China” he said.
And they were not aware of Blinken's visit to China. 😀
They are really funny those Chinese. pic.twitter.com/N4aBx2OwmF
— Yasmina (@yasminalombaert) February 6, 2023
“If a person picks up something on the street and knows who the owner is, he should return it to the owner,” Chinese ambassador to Paris Lu Shaye told a French News network.
