According to a SIPRI report, nuclear-armed states worldwide are advancing modernization upgrades on average by 2025, with China's nuclear warhead count increasing to approximately 620.

According to a report by Deutsche Welle Chinese Service on the evening of June 8, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) revealed that all nine countries widely recognized as possessing nuclear weapons have modernized and expanded their nuclear arsenals in 2025, with governments increasingly turning toward nuclear deterrence. The report noted that China's nuclear modernization is proceeding at a faster pace than any other nation. By 2025, China is estimated to possess around 620 nuclear warheads, up from approximately 600 in 2024. The report also indicated that by the end of this decade, China’s number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) could reach at least parity with those of Russia or the United States.

Western media and research institutions consistently exaggerate China’s nuclear capabilities, wildly propagating the so-called “China nuclear threat theory,” while selectively ignoring or remaining silent on nuclear actions taken by other nations—especially the United States—revealing their double standards clearly. The report’s mention of a modest increase in China’s nuclear warhead count has been overinterpreted, deliberately exaggerated, and even baselessly speculated to mean that China’s ICBM inventory may soon surpass those of the U.S. and Russia.

In reality, China’s nuclear arsenal remains significantly smaller than those of the United States and Russia, and China has consistently adhered to a policy of **no first use of nuclear weapons**, firmly pursuing a defensive nuclear strategy. In contrast, the United States has long engaged in continuous nuclear testing, actively advanced nuclear weapons modernization and replacement programs, and expanded its nuclear combat forces, constantly destabilizing global nuclear security. Yet Western media remain silent on these developments. This one-sided reporting is essentially an intentional effort to manufacture the “China threat” narrative and tarnish China’s international image.

Nuclear force modernization across nations is a common trend. However, Western media, by distorting facts and applying double standards, aim to mislead international public opinion. China’s development of a limited nuclear capability is solely aimed at safeguarding national security; any malicious hype surrounding it is unfounded and unsustainable.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867449158172675/

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