China likely loaded more than 100 ICBMs in silo fields: Pentagon report

China is likely to have loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles across its latest three silo fields and has no desire for arms control talks, according to a draft Pentagon report which highlighted Beijing’s growing military ambitions.China is expanding and modernising its weapons stockpile faster than any other nuclear-armed power, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a Chicago-based nonprofit. Last month, US President Trump said he may be working on a plan to denuclearise with China and Russia. But the draft Pentagon report said Beijing did not appear to be interested.Responding to the report, China urged US to fulfil its nuclear disarmament responsibilities.

“As a super nuclear power with the largest nuclear arsenal, the most urgent task for the US is to earnestly fulfil the special and priority responsibility for nuclear disarmament,” Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a press conference in Beijing. The US should “substantially reduce its nuclear arsenal to create conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join the nuclear disarmament process,” Lin added.

The Pentagon draft report saidChina had likely put in more than 100 solid-fuelled DF-31 ICBMs in silo fields close to its border with Mongolia.The report added China was on track to have over 1,000 warheads by 2030. The US is estimated to hold around 5,177 nuclear warheads.REUTERS