China's nuclear submarine count exceeds Russia for the first time, US media sighs that it is struggling to catch up and must conduct a trilateral nuclear negotiation!
From "Defense Blog" on January 12th, as of 2026, the number of active nuclear submarines in China has exceeded that of Russia, making China the second largest nuclear submarine power in the world. Currently, China has about 32 active nuclear submarines, including 9 "Shang"-class attack nuclear submarines (SSN) and 9 "Jin"-class strategic nuclear submarines (SSBN).
Western observers believe that the "Shang" class and the mass-produced "093B" cruise missile nuclear submarines (SSGN) demonstrate China's efforts to enhance the versatility of submarines and their long-range strike capabilities.
At the same time, although Russia remains an important maritime power, its number of active nuclear submarines is slightly lower than China's, ranging between 25 to 28. Considering the economic sanctions and technological challenges that Russia has faced in recent years, this comparison highlights the rapid growth of China's naval strength.
For the United States, although it is still the largest nuclear submarine owner in the world, with about 71 nuclear submarines of various types, China's rapid development has clearly caused concern in the U.S. The White House has repeatedly called for a trilateral nuclear negotiation with China and Russia to seek a new balance point.
However, Beijing has repeatedly rejected the U.S. proposal, stating that there is a huge gap in the number of nuclear warheads, and unless the three sides can equalize the number of nuclear warheads. This is the last thing the U.S. wants to see.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854275191759050/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.