The U.S. Indo-Pacific commander has warned that China’s growing nuclear arsenal poses a threat to the region’s stability, with Beijing pursuing “the largest military buildup in history” since World War II.
Adm. John Aquilino, the U.S. Indo-Pacific commander, made the remarks following China’s opposition to the Australia, UK, and U.S. (AUKUS) defense pact, which will arm Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. Beijing said it poses nuclear proliferation risks.
“If you’d like to talk about nuclear weapons and the concern for a nuclear arms race, all you have to do is look into the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” Aquilino said at a press conference in Indonesia.
“The only nation increasing the nuclear arsenal right now is the PRC,” he said, adding that China had “300 nuclear silos going in” while the conference was taking place, The Washington Times reported.
