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China has developed an array of nuclear missiles “from subway silos, possibly to improve its ability to respond quickly to a nuclear attack,” reported Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project.
In its plan to combat the American presence in Asia, China has begun nuclear modernization on the eve of the five-year plan to be unveiled next March 5, 2021, where the Chinese Communist Party is expected to invest billions of dollars in what is seen as a dramatic increase in defense.
According to analysts, “a stronger Chinese nuclear force could factor into U.S. calculations for a military response to China’s aggressive actions, such as in Taiwan or the South China Sea.”
It should be noted that if China succeeds in tripling the number of intercontinental ballistic missile silos, this “would only constitute a fraction of the number operated by the United States.”
China develops nuclear weapons without transparency
China has nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and the capacity to develop chemical and biological weapons. A key uncertainty is “how the current military upgrade efforts, diversifying and modernizing its nuclear arsenal,” unfold without transparency around the international legal order.”
China’s main defense partners are nuclear powers. On the one hand, the 1961 “Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between China and North Korea,” and up for renewal in 2021, binds China to intervene against unprovoked aggression toward North Korea, which can deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere in the United States. In January 2021, Pyongyang “presented a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile at a military showcase.”
Last year, Iran and China agreed on a broad economic and security partnership that would “clear the way for billions of dollars of Chinese investments in energy and other sectors,” alerting American authorities, taking into account Iran’s ambitions in nuclear armament.
China wants a high-tech military
To Huawei Technologies and Lenovo Group, the Chinese regime will add the creation of another powerful IT giant focused on the development and sophistication of military tools.
China Electronics Technology Group (CETC) is the “only information technology provider capable of meeting the full range of needs of the armed forces, including networks, IT infrastructure and electronic equipment such as radar.”
The company also “handles electronic parts and systems for missiles and key components for satellites and is a linchpin for the local creation of semiconductors,” due to the escalating trade war in which Taiwan is a world leader in chip manufacturing.
United States in the midst of a volatile Indo-Pacific
China has repeatedly warned that it will use military force to prevent Taiwan from becoming an internationally recognized independent entity. Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, allies of the United States, have sufficient capacity to develop nuclear weapons in short to medium term.
Given Taiwan’s technological advances and experience in the scientific field, international organizations assure that the island is capable of developing biological and chemical weapons for attack and defense.
Although analysts agree that it is “unlikely that the communist regime will launch a full-scale assault,” given the circumstances, the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration should pay attention to recent developments in China and prevent a military confrontation from erupting in the region and escalating into a nuclear conflict, added former U.S. Ambassador to China J. Stapleton Roy, who recalled, “that the Cold War lesson that nuclear weapons should never be used has been forgotten.”
Camilo Bello is a consultant focused on Asia Pacific studies and has experience in strategic management. He has studied law in Colombia and is currently pursuing studies in language and history at National Taiwan Normal University. He has collaborated with Students for Freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan // Camilo es consultor enfocado en estudios de Asia Pacífico y experiencia en gestión estratégica. Cuenta con estudios en Derecho en Colombia y actualmente se encuentra realizando estudios en lenguaje e historia en National Taiwan Normal University. Colaborador de Estudiantes por la Libertad en Hong Kong y Taiwán