China creates ‘security anxiety’ by expanding freely nuclear arsenal

Australia has raised concerns over China's rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, warning that the buildup is creating a growing sense of "security anxiety" in the region.

According to the latest estimates from the U.S. State Department, China now possesses more than 600 nuclear warheads—three times the number it held back in 2020.

This sharp increase has alarmed China's neighbors, particularly Australia, which is now seriously considering a shift in its defense strategy amid what officials describe as an increasingly hostile environment.

Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said: “We’ve made no secret of the fact that we have a security anxiety in relation to China—that's principally driven by the very significant conventional military build-up that China is engaging in, and, for that matter, a nuclear build-up as well.”

A 2022 Pentagon report predicted that China could possess up to 1,500 nuclear warheads by the end of this year, further escalating regional tensions.

Meanwhile, Australian Defence Force Chief David Johnson warned earlier this week that Australia must enhance its ability to conduct military operations from its own territory.

“That is a very different way—almost since the Second World War—of how we think about national resilience and preparedness,” he told a major defense conference.

(QG - Source: The Daily Express - Picture : © Unsplash)