What does the Pentagon say about the Chinese military in its annual report?

The US Department of Defense has raised concerns about corruption in the Chinese military and said that the country's nuclear arsenal is growing in both quantity and quality.

On December 18, the US Department of Defense released the 2024 Report on Military and Security Developments Related to China, also known as the China Military Power Report.

This is an annual report required by the US Congress, which provides information, analysis and assessment of China's national, economic and military strategy, providing perspectives on the country's military strategy, current activities and capabilities as well as future modernization goals.

China's military is said to be modernizing unevenly due to corruption.

The Chinese military’s progress toward its goal of modernizing by 2027, the 100th anniversary of its founding, is “uneven,” according to a Pentagon report. Corruption also affects all branches of the Chinese military. In the second half of 2023, corruption-related investigations led to the removal of at least 15 senior military and defense officials.

China's defense budget for 2023 is reportedly $220 billion, allowing the country to focus on modernizing weapons, equipment, recruiting troops and enhancing strategic capabilities.

China’s nuclear arsenal has grown rapidly over the past year, both in quality and quantity. The Pentagon estimates that China will have more than 600 operational nuclear warheads by mid-2024, an increase of 100 a year, and will have more than 1,000 by 2030.

China has been developing technology and improving the quality of its nuclear arsenal, diversifying its delivery vehicles not only with strategic submarines but also a fleet of bombers and missile systems that can carry lower-yield nuclear warheads, Mr. Chase said.

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said in August that the country's nuclear strategy focuses on self-defense and that Beijing has always maintained its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required by national security, according to the Financial Times . She said the United States is the main source of nuclear threats and strategic risks in the world.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lau-nam-goc-noi-gi-ve-quan-doi-trung-quoc-trong-bao-cao-thuong-nien-185241219104535598.htm