No Nuclear Limit: China

[cross1993]

China has about 1,000 nuclear weapons.

 

[Hafizzz]

Right now, China likely possesses over 3000 nukes. But we will need no less than 5000 by year 2020, because NMD would likely be ready.

According to Western estimate , China has about 250 nukes.

 

[Dalai Lama]

^^ The US is massively cutting funding for NASA. I'm reading headlines here about NASA begging to join the Indian space program. This will leave a crucial window for China and Long March V to weaponize space over the next 10 to 20 years. Since the Chinese space program is funded through the PLA, I'm sure this is already being planned.

That title was BS. NASA just want's to join India's space programme because they know that ISRO can do it cheaper than anyone else can. Like you said NASA are facing serious cutbacks. However they're funding is still about 10 times more than India's (don't know about China) even with all the cutbacks.

 

[Dalai Lama]

^^^

And also I though there were international laws regarding deployment of WMD's in space.

 

[Aramsogo]

^^^

And also I though there were international laws regarding deployment of WMD's in space.

I think those space treaties are meaningless. The US withdrew from ABM Treaty when missile defense technology matured. Countries will do what is in their best strategic interest regardless of anything else.

 

[anon45]

^^ The US is massively cutting funding for NASA. I'm reading headlines here about NASA begging to join the Indian space program. This will leave a crucial window for China and Long March V to weaponize space over the next 10 to 20 years. Since the Chinese space program is funded through the PLA, I'm sure this is already being planned.

NASA is a civilian program, thus their funding is not relevant to any hypothetical US weaponization of space.


Also China is welcome to make 3000 nukes, would do more harm for China's objectives than good.

As for why they want to hide the exact number, I feel it is because China has less than what would be needed for mutual destruction. If they had so much (2000-3000) yes still chose to hide it, how would it serve as a deterrant? By hiding it until the time when they finally use it and the massive 'advantage' they have in nukes becomes clear, China is still to become a desolate wasteland through retaliation/first strike, so it doesn't protect them. These weapons are weapons of destruction, not deterrance. The known capabilities (or thought to be known capabilities) are the deterrance.

Its likely China has an amount that could pose the threat of unacceptable losses (but not MAD), but is mostly using the vagueness of their nuke arsenal to increase the numbers (and thus the deterrance) in others minds while saving money on costly arsenals.

That said it could be others think China has 400 while China actually has 600-800.

But nothing so utterly over the top and unnecessary as China having a 2000-3000 nuke 'maintenance monster' arsenal.

 

[no_name]

Disguise orbital nukes as "satellite launches". In event of nuclear war, re-enter.

In the event that the orbit becomes unstable or the 'satellite' collided with something else, god help us all.

 

[CardSharp]

In the event that the orbit becomes unstable or the 'satellite' collided with something else, god help us all.

Probably would burn up leaving a big trail of radiation.

 

[no_name]

If it would burn up then what is the use of it in the first place?

 

[blackops]

Guys excuse me for my poor knowledge but when the nukes would be entering the earts atmosphere wont it cause to much of heat that would be dangerous for the nuke

 

[tanlixiang28776]

Guys excuse me for my poor knowledge but when the nukes would be entering the earts atmosphere wont it cause to much of heat that would be dangerous for the nuke

Ballistic missiles always have to do that.

 

[blackops]

Ballistic missiles always have to do that.

Ballistic missiles dont enter from space but this will do creating more heat than normal

 

[no_name]

Nukes are not explosives, and they do not get triggered by ordinary explosions. You can also just put heat tiles around it.

 

[marshall]

Some guys from CD forum have some inside information.

Back in year 1996, there was Hong Kong magazine revealed that PLA's second artillery already possessed 2350 nukes. The number matches what the CD guys give.

Anyway, the sources from Western Intelligence can be viewed as credible as Wikipedia that provides some quick information, but they were never reliable regarding to PLA.

I vaguely remember that report over 10 years ago and there was some controversy over its authenticity.

 

[GUNS-N- ROSES]

i m not sure how china will feel much safer with 5000 warheads than 1000. nuclear weapons r for deterrence only. even if a country has 10 with proven deterrence capability and second strike capability, no other countery would dare attack that country.

may be the chinese would like to keep, everyone guessing abt their actual numbers. no country gives accurate figures of its nuclear weapons. there are assessments, but these have generally been proved faulty in case of chinese.