China is growing its nuclear weapons stockpile faster than any other country, report warns

17 June 2025, 10:09

China is amassing a growing stockpile of nuclear warheads at a faster rate than any other country, a new report has revealed.

China now has at least 600 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, with around 100 per year being added to the collection since 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) new study.

It means China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues at the same rate.

That would nearly stockpiles belonging to the biggest nuclear powers - Russia and the US.

SIPRI’s research puts Russia arsenal at 5,459 warheads, with the US' at 5,177. Together, the nations hold around 90% of the global stockpile.

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China currently has an estimated 24 nuclear warheads already placed on missiles or kept in bases with operational forces. It means that they could be used at moment's notice.

Chinese diplomat Guo Jiakun declined to comment on SIPRI’s report.

But he said: "China has always adhered to the nuclear strategy of self-defence, always maintained its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security, and has not participated in the arms race."

He added that China follows a policy of not being the first to deploy nuclear weapons at any time, adding that Beijing would not use or threaten to against non-nuclear armed nations.

In his latest threat assessment, the head of MI5 Ken McCallum said the UK was facing a growing threat of ‘plot after plot’ from hostile states - including Russia, China and Iran.

“The shifts underneath [these threats] create the most complex environment we’ve ever seen,” he said, in October 2024.

The spy chief added: “We have been growing our efforts against heightened state aggression. In just the last year, the number of state threat investigations we’ve been running has shot up by 48%.”

Last month, Paul Rogers, emeritus professor of peace studies at Bradford University, told LBC "it’s not worth us investing in our nuclear trident".

It came after General James E. Rainey of the United States Army Futures Command warned Britain's nuclear subs ‘will be detectable within years’ by hostile states.

Speaking at the annual Kermit Roosevelt lecture, the Commanding General said technological advances mean hostile states like China and Russia will ‘soon’ be able to find submarines with accuracy - using advanced under sea drones.

Rear Admiral Chris Parry warned: "We need to be very worried about the number of totalitarian states that seek to use military means to achieve their geopolitical objectives and I’m afraid strategically we have been rather blind to some of these threats.

"The UK is wide open to a drone attack, hypersonic and ballistic attack, our infrastructure is barely protected at all and our cyber defence is laughable. It's because most governments operate with wishful thinking."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he's "100% committed" to Aukus — the nuclear submarine partnership between the UK, the US and Australia.

The US and the UK agreed at the G7 summit on Monday that the landmark deal will go ahead.

The trilateral security pact, announced in 2021, will see the three allies collaborate on building a new fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines, with Australia also set to purchase three US-built Virginia-class submarines in the interim.

The deal, considered a strategic counterbalance to China’s growing military influence in the Indo-Pacific, has come under renewed scrutiny following the change in US administration.

Some figures in Washington have questioned whether the US can afford to transfer submarines to Australia, particularly if tensions with China escalate further, especially over Taiwan. But senior American officials have voiced strong support for the agreement.

Last month, the new US ambassador to London, Warren Stephens, used his first major public speech to express full backing for Aukus, saying the US was “proud to stand alongside Britain and Australia, two of our closest allies”.