China Trying To Update Its Nuclear Arsenal
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BEIJING — China is undertaking a dramatic overhaul of its nuclear weapons in an effort to modernize and expand its arsenal.
One of the world’s leading arms control experts said that the Chinese had realized that their nuclear weaponry had fallen behind those of other major powers and might not survive a first strike.
The head of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), Bates Gill, said that as a result it was developing more flexible delivery systems, including from submarines, as well as the capacity to use multiple warheads.
“Among the major nuclear powers China stands out in its effort to modernize, expand, and improve its nuclear weapons capability,” he said at a conference in Beijing.
