00:00We've heard the word nuclear come up a lot in the Asia-Pacific region this year, and
00:04now there's a Reuters report pointing to a growing stockpile of Chinese nuclear-armed
00:09intercontinental ballistic missiles.
00:11China's arsenal is growing faster than that of any other nuclear power.
00:15A recent report cited by Reuters says that the country has placed 100 ICBMs into silos
00:21close to the Mongolian border.
00:23Although that is deep inland, some missiles have ranges exceeding 15,000 kilometers, meaning
00:28they can strike targets in the continental US, let alone in the Indo-Pacific.
00:33China's rise in their missile capabilities and the expansion of their rocket force has
00:41definitely been a focus of the overall global observation of China's military modernization.
00:49It comes at a time when the People's Liberation Army continues its very aggressive military
00:58operations.
00:59And at the same time, you know, the commitment and credibility of US defense commitment to
01:06its allies across the region has also been put to question.
01:11Although the report did not mention any targets, it does indicate that China's arsenal, which
01:15stood at about 600 warheads last year, could nearly double to 1,000 by 2030.
01:20That's amid concerns that Chinese President Xi Jinping could move to invade Taiwan in 2027.
01:25There's a growing risk of nuclear proliferation across the Indo-Pacific.
01:29A recent report quoted a Japanese lawmaker saying the country should consider its own
01:33nuclear weapons.
01:34North Korea continues building up its nuclear program despite sanctions, and US President
01:38Donald Trump said he would be interested in restarting nuclear testing, although no details
01:43have been announced.
01:44As China continues building up its nuclear arsenal, and other countries consider doing the same,
01:49this could represent a huge shift in Asia's security situation.
01:52Scott Huang and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.
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