The US has reported a significant expansion of China's nuclear arsenal in the past year, with the country now possessing around 500 operational warheads, according to an annual Pentagon report.

Beijing also expressed its intention to double this arsenal to over 1,000 warheads by 2030, while emphasizing its adherence to a "no-first strike" policy.

Despite the growth exceeding previous estimates, it's worth noting that China's nuclear stockpile still lags far behind those of Russia and the US. Russia maintains approximately 5,889 warheads, while the US has around 5,244, as per the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

In 2021, the Department of Defense estimated China's warhead count to be around 400. A senior US defense official pointed out that they aren't suggesting a dramatic departure from China's previous trajectory but rather that the nation appears on track to surpass those earlier projections, raising concerns for the US.

President Xi Jinping has outlined his ambition for China to have a "world-class military" by 2049, and this report suggests that China's current efforts to expand its nuclear capabilities will outshine previous attempts in terms of both scale and complexity.

The report also noted that China likely completed the construction of three new groups of missile sites in 2022, which encompass at least 300 new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos.

ICBMs are ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles). The People's Liberation Army rocket forces have been working on developing ICBMs that could potentially threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental US, Hawaii, and Alaska, according to the US report.

Despite the growth in its nuclear stockpile, China maintains a policy focused on "deterrence" against an enemy's first strike, with a commitment to a "counterstrike" if deterrence fails.

Henry Boyd, a senior fellow at the Henry Boyd International Institute for Strategic Studies, told the BBC the reported rate of increase did not look "hugely exceptional".

He also conceded that China was "moving slightly faster than estimated" towards its stated goal of 1,000 warheads.

Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told the BBC that developments such as hypersonic missiles were making China reconsider its second-strike policy, forcing the expansion of its stockpile.

Thursday's Pentagon report also noted that Beijing has "amplified diplomatic, political, and military pressure" against Taiwan over recent months.

Mr. Xi has reportedly ordered his defense chiefs to develop the military capability to forcibly re-take the island by 2027.

A series of ballistic missile overflights of Taiwan, increased flights into its airspace and a series of military exercises around its waters have been ordered to destabilize the island, the Pentagon report added.

The findings come amid a low point in China-US diplomatic relations.

On Wednesday, Washington accused Chinese Air Force pilots of conducting hundreds of "coercive and risky" maneuvers against US military planes in international air space over the Pacific.

The Pentagon - which also released videos and photos of the maneuvers - said there had been 180 incidents since autumn 2021.

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