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Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Why is China rushing to grow its nuclear arsenal?
China is growing its nuclear arsenal at a faster pace than any other country on the planet, according to new figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). It estimates that Beijing now has more than 600 nuclear warheads and is adding about 100 per year to its stockpile. That means that by 2035, it will have more than 1,500 warheads, still only a third of the arsenal of each of Russia and the US, but nevertheless an enormous increase and a marked shift away from its proclaimed policy of 'minimum deterrence'. To facilitate this expanding arsenal, China is building fields of new missile silos in its western desert regions. The Federation of American Scientists, which identified the silos via satellite imagery, has described them as 'the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever.' China is engaged in one of the largest military build-ups ever seen during peacetime The Pentagon believes China is planning to quadruple its nuclear weapons stockpile by 2030, and its fears have been further heightened by People's Liberation Army (PLA) tests of nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons designed to evade America's nuclear defences. One test involved the launch of a rocket into space, which circled the globe before releasing into orbit a highly manoeuvrable hypersonic glider. The nuclear-capable glider – which has been likened to a weaponised space shuttle – had the ability to surf along the earth's atmosphere before powering down to its target at up to five times the speed of sound (hence the hypersonic). Hypersonic weapons are far more difficult to detect and destroy than traditional ballistic missiles. This week, China's foreign ministry spokesperson insisted: 'China has always adhered to the nuclear strategy of self-defence, always maintained its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security, and has not participated in the arms race.' This claim is almost as hackneyed as that of China's 'peaceful rise', but understanding China's evolving military doctrine is especially challenging because Beijing 'is refusing to take part in nuclear arms control talks. China last year suspended talks over arms control and nuclear proliferation with the US ostensibly because of American arms sales to Taiwan. However, Beijing has always been a reluctant participant. It is engaged in one of the largest military build-ups ever seen during peacetime, yet there are none of the protocols and little of the depth of mutual knowledge about capabilities and intentions that existed and provided a level of stability during the last Cold War with the Soviet Union. Western strategists believe that one aim of the rapid nuclear build-up is to deter America from coming to the defence of Taiwan, which China claims as its own, and which it has repeatedly threatened to invade. The thinly disguised message to Washington is that America is deluding itself if it thinks a conflict over Taiwan could be contained to the immediate area and not endanger the American homeland. Trying to make sense of China's military doctrine is made all the more challenging by an ongoing purge at the top of the PLA and a heightened level of intrigue surrounding both the army and the Chinese Communist party (CCP). Earlier this year, General He Weidong, the number-two officer in the PLA and a member of the CCP's 24-strong politburo, was removed from his post. This followed the disappearance of Miao Hua, a navy admiral and one of six members (along with He) of the party's powerful central military commission, which is chaired by President Xi Jinping. Miao was also head of the PLA's political works department – charged with ensuring CCP control over the military. The PLA is a party organisation, and in the military pecking order, Miao was regarded as more powerful even than defence minister Dong Jun. Rumours have also swirled that Dong himself has been under investigation. He appears to have survived, at least for now, but if deposed, he would be the third successive defence minister to face corruption charges. China's rocket force, the most secretive and sensitive branch of China's military responsible for overseeing in part all those shiny new nukes, has also been the target of an extensive purge. Those targeted included the two heads of the force. Among others purged have been a navy commander responsible for the South China Sea and several others responsible for procuring equipment – long a notoriously corrupt part of the military. When Xi came to power in 2012, he pledged to clean up the PLA, which ran a business empire so big that preparing for war often appeared to be a secondary concern. In spite (or possibly because of) Xi's efforts, the graft only seems to have got worse – though it should be noted that 'corruption' is frequently used as a catch-all and a pretext for the removal of those considered insufficiently loyal to the leader. Because many of those now being targeted include Xi's hand-picked officials, it will inevitably be seen as an indictment of his abilities and judgement. This week's figures from SIPRI certainly confirm the worrying extent of China's nuclear ambitions. For the country's top brass charged with wielding these fearsome weapons, however, navigating the corridors of power at the pinnacle of Xi Jinping's capricious CCP is proving considerably more dangerous than the battlefield.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Who will launch nukes first amid WW3 fears, according to experts
As fears of all-out nuclear war intensify, scientists are sounding the alarm that the decision to launch a catastrophic strike could soon rest not with world leaders, but with a machine. In a stark warning, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent group that monitors global security issues, reported that the decades-long decline in global nuclear arsenals has come to an end. Instead, nations are now modernizing, expanding, and deploying their stockpiles at a rapid and alarming pace, signaling the onset of a new, high-tech arms race. While AI and similar technologies can accelerate decision-making during crises, scientists warn they also raise the risk of nuclear conflict through miscommunication, misunderstanding, or technical failure, the report stated. In a nuclear standoff, decision-makers often have only minutes to assess threats and respond. AI systems can process vast amounts of information in real time, potentially aiding faster decisions, but possibly at the expense of caution. Dan Smith, the director of SIPRI, wrote: 'We see the warning signs of a new nuclear arms race at a particularly dangerous and unstable moment for geopolitics.' 'If the decision to launch nuclear weapons is ever fully handed over to AI, we'd be approaching true doomsday scenarios,' Smith continued. The report follows Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear and missile facilities last week, sparking fears that WWIII may be imminent. While the White House played no direct role in the strike, President Donald Trump suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting an ultimatum in talks to restrict its nuclear program. Iran does not possess such weapons yet, but its allies, Russia and China, have more than 6,000 nuclear warheads combined. On Thursday, the White House confirmed that Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether to launch a military strike on Iran aimed at crippling its nuclear capabilities. The announcement came as Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire and drone attacks for the seventh consecutive day. According to the report, an estimated 12,241 nuclear warheads are currently held by nine countries: the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Nuclear powers, including the US and China, are ramping up production of new, more sophisticated weapons at a faster pace than they are retiring older stockpiles. Smith and his team warned that incorporating AI into nuclear launch systems could significantly raise the risk of an accidental war. Despite the risks, SIPRI said that governments are increasingly drawn to the speed and processing power AI offers. 'One component of the coming arms race will be the attempt to gain and maintain a competitive edge in artificial intelligence, both for offensive and defensive purposes,' Smith said in the SIPRI report. 'AI has a wide range of potential strategic utility; there are benefits to be found, but the careless adoption of AI could significantly increase nuclear risk,' Smith cautioned. The 2025 report also pointed out that at multiple times in the history of nuclear weapons, a cataclysmic war has almost taken place completely by accident. One of the most well-known incidents occurred in September 1983, when a Soviet early-warning system falsely reported five incoming US missiles. Fortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, the duty officer at the time, questioned the validity of the alert. He reasoned that a real American first strike would involve far more warheads and chose not to escalate the alert. His decision is widely credited with preventing a possible global catastrophe. 'Had he believed the information, he would have passed it up the line and, though there is no certainty either way, his superiors, wrongly thinking they were under attack, might have decided upon retaliation,' Smith wrote. Smith added that the speed at which AI operates means that in future conflicts, people like Petrov might not have the time to prevent a computer's decision to launch a retaliatory strike. The SIPRI report also cited recent revelations about the secret arms race taking place among the world's nuclear superpowers. Officially, five countries, China, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea, have increased their nuclear stockpiles by over 700 warheads over the past 40 years. That's according to a 2024 report by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a nonprofit global policy think tank. The fastest-growing arsenal is China's, with Beijing adding about 100 new warheads per year since 2023, according to SIPRI's latest count, which claimed the Chinese now have 600 nuclear bombs as of 2025. China could potentially have at least as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as either Russia or the US by the 2030s. Of the estimated 12,241 nuclear warheads worldwide, about 9,614 were in the active military stockpiles for potential use. Approximately 2,100 of the warheads that have been actively deployed are currently in a state of high operational alert - attached to ballistic missiles on ships, submarines, or planes. 'The era of reductions in the number of nuclear weapons in the world, which had lasted since the end of the Cold War, is coming to an end,' the SIPRI report warned. 'Instead, we see a clear trend of growing nuclear arsenals, sharpened nuclear rhetoric and the abandonment of arms control agreements.' SIPRI said Russia and the US, which possess around 90 percent of all nuclear weapons, kept the sizes of their respective arsenals relatively stable in 2024. However, both were implementing extensive modernization programs that could increase the size of their arsenals in the future.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
MP first to use hi-tech system to flag ideal spots for ponds & wells
Bhopal: Setting an example of how technology can change lives, Madhya Pradesh has become the only state to use AI, real-time data analytics and integrated satellite and mapping tools to select locations to construct waterbodies under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan — a drive under MNREGS to build waterbodies for groundwater recharge. With these scientific technological interventions, the chances of waterbodies remaining dry become negligible, said officials, adding that it will not only improve groundwater levels but also bring prosperity to rural areas. The MP initiative has been appreciated by Union govt and several states have approached MP to understand the working of these systems, they added. MP is also the first state to integrate MNREGS works with these advanced scientific tools. Ponds and wells often remained dry as they were not dug in ideal spots, lacked correct slopes, or natural water recharges, pointed out officials. Now, these approvals are linked to the Software For Identification and Planning Of Rural Infrastructure (SIPRI) — which has all topographical data, mapped to the level of khasra numbers in each village. It is only after the spot selected for the waterbody is vetted by SIPRI that work goes ahead. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Преносим лазерен заваръчен пистолет, 50% отстъпка в нов магазин HEO Купете сега Undo All this is integrated into the system to ensure seamless and timely evaluation, with just a few clicks. Explaining the system, an official said that once a site for a pond or well is proposed, the khasra number is entered into the system and SIPRI determines if it will be feasible. Parameters like slope, natural water recharges, and other topographical features are shown by the software. It is only after all the parameters check out that the approval process can be further extended. SIPRI uses hundreds of sources, including revenue records, GPS, satellite images, drone surveys, a large number of govt organisations, and even private satellite imagery and data providers, to ensure real-time data. The software even analyses scientific features like lineament — a linear feature on the earth's surface, such as a fault — which are normally not identifiable, and their presence leads to ponds drying up. So far, under Jal Ganga Samvardhan, more than 81,000 farm ponds, 1,200 Amrit Sarovar ponds, and more than 1 lakh wells have been approved. All these have been approved after checking each and every topographical feature in the least possible time. "It's a question of millions and millions of litres of water, and it's related to the lives of crores of rural people. Normally, farmers who do not have access to irrigation water opt for ponds or lakes. If these lakes are functional, it will bring about changes not only in the groundwater levels but also in farm output. Thus, it will have multiple benefits, environmentally as well as in uplifting the living conditions of the people," MNREGS commissioner Avi Prasad told TOI. "We worked for several months on these technological interventions, and it has been developed inhouse. Data from numerous sources is being pulled for this purpose. It took several months to develop the system. Every waterbody approved under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan has been approved after due diligence to ensure it is as per the appropriate topography. This not only increases efficiency, but technical intervention has also reduced the time of approvals from a few days to a few minutes. Ideally, a proposal for a water body can now get technical sanction in just 15 minutes," Prasad added.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Putin says he'd only meet Zelenskyy in 'final stage' of negotiations
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is open to meeting with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but only during a "final stage" of negotiations. "I am even ready to meet him [Zelenskyy] but only if it is some kind of final stage, o as not to sit there and divide something endlessly, but to put an end to it" Putin said on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday. Putin said that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have agreed to hold another round of discussions after 22 June. Two rounds of direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv failed to make progress on ending Russia's full-scale invasion, now in its fourth year. "We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of peaceful settlement," Putin said. He highlighted that the previous negotiations had led to the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict. Putin also reiterated his false claim that Zelenskyy is not Ukraine's legitimate president after his term expired last year. This accusation has been roundly rejected by Kyiv and its allies, as Ukraine's constitution makes it illegal for the country to hold national elections while it's under martial law. During the meeting with senior news agency editors, Putin also talked about the conflict between Israel and Iran, NATO, and Russia's relations with the West. In overnight attacks, Russia struck six Ukrainian regions, having launched 104 Shahed-type strike UAVs and various decoy drones. Of these, 40 were destroyed while 48 were jammed or disabled by electronic warfare, according to Ukraine's military In Kyiv, emergency workers recovered more bodies on Wednesday from the debris of a nine-story apartment building in the Solomianskyi district, which was destroyed by a Russian missile strike. The death toll from this latest attack on the Ukrainian capital has risen to 28. Officials reported that 23 of the victims were inside the building when it was hit and collapsed during what has become the deadliest Russian assault on Kyiv so far this year. The other five fatalities occurred in other parts of the city. The overnight assault from Monday into Tuesday was described by Zelenskyy as one of the largest attacks since the war began. The era of nuclear disarmament appears to have come to an end, experts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned this week. Amid widespread global tensions and regional conflicts, researchers say the number of nuclear weapons appears to have gone up in the past 12 months. The nuclear weapon stockpile is now estimated at 9,614 available warheads - 0.3% more compared to 2024. The total is 12,241, including retired warheads. "By the end of 2024 nuclear disarmament appeared more elusive than at any point since the end of the Cold War", says SIPRI, "especially since strategic dialogue between Russia and the United States has effectively ceased". China's nuclear program is growing faster than any other country thanks to "significant modernisation and expansion work", the report says. Beijing is currently building new silos for its intercontinental ballistic missiles (IBM) in three large fields in the north of the country as well as in three mountainous areas in the central east. Since 2023, its arsenal has expanded by 100 new nukes per year, reaching 600 in 2025, making it the world's third-largest stockpile. However, the vast majority of China's warheads are thought to be stored separately from their launchers. By the end of the decade, the country, which is currently the world's second-largest military spender after the US, could have at least as many ICBMs as either Russia or Washington, although its stockpile is still expected to remain smaller than theirs. Tensions undermined dialogue between China and the US on nuclear-weapon-related issues due to the American support for Taiwan as well as economic sanctions against China. Russia and the US still hold almost 90% of all nuclear weapons. "Both states are implementing extensive modernisation programmes that could increase the size and diversity of their arsenals in the future." says SIPRI. "If no new agreement is reached to cap their stockpiles, the number of warheads they deploy on strategic missiles seems likely to increase after the bilateral 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) expires in February 2026. In any case, SIPRI analysts say Russia's nuclear modernisation effort has endured a test failure and a further delay for the New Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. Additionally, upgrades of other systems are progressing more slowly than anticipated. In the US, on the other hand, authorities are under pressure by nuclear advocates to keep up with China's new developments. The US could ramp up its capabilities by reactivating empty launchers, increasing its non-strategic nuclear weapons and deploying more warheads to existing launchers. In Europe, France has the largest nuclear arsenal, with 290 weapons - almost all of them are combat-ready. In 2024, Paris continued its development program of third-generation submarine-launched nuclear missiles as well as a new air-launched cruise missile. Like France, the UK has committed to scaling up its maritime nuclear abilities by building four new nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. Although the country is believed not to have increased its arsenal last year, which currently stands at 225 nukes, a few weeks ago the government announced new investments in up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS programme. Authorities said that's "in response to the rapidly increasing threats". The investment is part of a £15 billion (€17.5bn) budget in the country's warhead programme.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Business
- Euronews
Nuclear weapons: Which country's arsenal is growing fastest?
The era of nuclear disarmament appears to have come to an end, experts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned this week. Amid widespread global tensions and regional conflicts, researchers say the number of nuclear weapons appears to have gone up in the past 12 months. The nuclear weapon stockpile is now estimated at 9,614 available warheads - 0.3% more compared to 2024. The total is 12,241, including retired warheads. "By the end of 2024 nuclear disarmament appeared more elusive than at any point since the end of the Cold War", says SIPRI, "especially since strategic dialogue between Russia and the United States has effectively ceased". China's nuclear program is growing faster than any other country thanks to "significant modernisation and expansion work", the report says. Beijing is currently building new silos for its intercontinental ballistic missiles (IBM) in three large fields in the north of the country as well as in three mountainous areas in the central east. Since 2023, its arsenal has expanded by 100 new nukes per year, reaching 600 in 2025, making it the world's third-largest stockpile. However, the vast majority of China's warheads are thought to be stored separately from their launchers. By the end of the decade, the country, which is currently the world's second-largest military spender after the US, could have at least as many ICBMs as either Russia or Washington, although its stockpile is still expected to remain smaller than theirs. Tensions undermined dialogue between China and the US on nuclear-weapon-related issues due to the American support for Taiwan as well as economic sanctions against China. Russia and the US still hold almost 90% of all nuclear weapons. "Both states are implementing extensive modernisation programmes that could increase the size and diversity of their arsenals in the future." says SIPRI. "If no new agreement is reached to cap their stockpiles, the number of warheads they deploy on strategic missiles seems likely to increase after the bilateral 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) expires in February 2026. In any case, SIPRI analysts say Russia's nuclear modernisation effort has endured a test failure and a further delay for the New Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. Additionally, upgrades of other systems are progressing more slowly than anticipated. In the US, on the other hand, authorities are under pressure by nuclear advocates to keep up with China's new developments. The US could ramp up its capabilities by reactivating empty launchers, increasing its non-strategic nuclear weapons and deploying more warheads to existing launchers. In Europe, France has the largest nuclear arsenal, with 290 weapons - almost all of them are combat-ready. In 2024, Paris continued its development program of third-generation submarine-launched nuclear missiles as well as a new air-launched cruise missile. Like France, the UK has committed to scaling up its maritime nuclear abilities by building four new nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. Although the country is believed not to have increased its arsenal last year, which currently stands at 225 nukes, a few weeks ago the government announcednew investments in up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS programme. Authorities said that's "in response to the rapidly increasing threats". The investment is part of a £15 billion (€17.5bn) budget in the country's warhead programme. Larysa Hnatchenko has been at the helm of Slobidskyi Kray, the Kharkiv region's oldest newspaper, for more than 14 years. However, following the Trump administration's decision to slash 90% of USAID grants in January, she has been doing something she did not expect she would have to do, just to keep working. Hnatchenko has been dipping into her personal savings to ensure the publication's survival — using her money to pay salaries, office rent and fuel expenses. "On top of this all, we were already owed two months' money when they paused the funding," she told Euronews. While most of Slobidskyi Kray's team left Kharkiv in February 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion, they returned after the city's liberation, committed to continuing reporting. The team began organising the distribution of 3,000 newspapers each week — for free — to humanitarian hubs located in 20 communities across the Kharkiv region. "The goal of distributing the newspapers was not to generate a profit, but to ensure that people living in occupied territories and front-line regions got the news," Hnatchenko said. "It's impossible to offer a subscription service in these areas, because people don't know where they will be from one day to the next due to the constant shelling." "Many grandmothers would walk to humanitarian hubs by foot as they were determined to get the newspaper," added Hnatchenko. This has now come to a halt due to a lack of funds. US grants previously made up 50% of the Slobidskyi Kray's funding — while nine out of 10 local Ukrainian outlets were also heavily reliant on USAID. Hnatchenko fears that cuts to USAID are playing into the hands of the Kremlin, leaving many vulnerable individuals who are exposed to Russian disinformation, with no alternative news sources. "It's a real issue, we can no longer afford to deliver our newspapers to areas which have no electricity or access to Ukrainian news. Many occupied and frontline territories also do not have Ukrainian signal but instead Russian signal, which is a trap," said Hnatchenko. While Ukraine's media market has proven resilient, a report conducted by the media monitoring organisation Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) prior to the axing of USAID funding found that Ukrainian media outlets needed $96 million (€86.3 million) over a three-year period to cover their costs. 'There are no current figures on how many Ukrainian media outlets have had to close down since the end of USAID, but we know that more 330 outlets have had to shut down since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine,' Pauline Maufrais, Ukraine area manager for RSF, told Euronews. 'Russian propaganda outlets rejoiced in the end of USAID because it weakens the coverage from Ukrainian outlets especially in areas which are close to the front,' said Maufrais. In January, RSF published an investigation into the International Reporters outlet, which publishes Moscow's propaganda and sends its contributors — such as French citizen and naturalised Russian national Christelle Néant — to interview the local population in occupied eastern Ukraine, including Avdiivka and Mariupol. The International Reporters outlet is just one of the many Kremlin-funded propaganda networks, which use foreign propagandists to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine internationally. "If there are fewer journalists in the Ukrainian media because there are not enough financial resources to pay them back, this means that less topics will be covered," said Maufrais. 'Since USAID cuts, media outlets are able to hire fewer freelancers, staffers have lost their jobs, but it also means that there is less coverage on the ground coming out from Ukraine." "Some outlets are running with only a few weeks of financing left, while others have said they can online survive until June," Maufrais added. Vgoru Media, based in Kherson — a city on the front lines of the war which was occupied by Russia for a period of nine months — previously relied on USAID to fund 80% of its projects. "We have had to cut big projects, such as our documentary telling the story of women who were kidnapped and tortured by Russia, as all the funding was from USAID," Ustyn Danchuk, head of video journalism at Gwara Media told Euronews. "We had already made 60% of the film when the cuts were implemented — but we hadn't even been paid for that work," he explained. Many Vgoru journalists left Kherson when it was under Russian occupation, fearing being captured and tortured. Since they have returned, they must live with the daily threat of missiles, as well as constant fear. For Danchuk, reporting and ensuring that locals don't fall for Russian disinformation is key. "I produce a video format where I walk around the streets of Kherson and ask people questions. What I have found is that young and middle-aged people want justice for Ukraine if the war is to end, they do not want swathes of the country to be handed over in exchange for peace," he explained. But this might not be enough, and the Kremlin's influence is still felt among the residents, Danchuk said. His outlet was also forced to cut a fact-checking video project countering Russian historical myths — one of the key tools in Moscow's propaganda arsenal. "I see that a lot of older people fall for the Russian narrative, many believe that 'we have to make peace with Russians, that every conflict ends and that we must be friends again.'" "We are continuing to try and tackle disinformation through our articles, but we are able to do a lot less without USAID," concluded Danchuk.
