China\u2019s military is capable of directly threatening the security of Americans, the Pentagon warned in a new assessment released Tuesday, as Beijing moves to accelerate the growth of its nuclear arsenal and aircraft carrier fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Department of Defense\u2019s latest annual report on the People\u2019s Liberation Army described China\u2019s recent buildup as \u201chistoric.\u201d It estimates that China will add six aircraft carriers by 2035, bringing its fleet to nine, just behind America\u2019s 11. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And while China\u2019s stockpile of nuclear warheads remained in the \u201clow 600s\u201d at the end of 2024, \u201creflecting a slower rate of production when compared to previous years,\u201d Beijing is on track to surpass 1,000 warheads by 2030, according to the report. China also advanced its early-warning counterstrike capabilities, which would enable retaliatory strikes before an incoming warhead can detonate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China\u2019s President Xi Jinping has framed these advancements as part of his \u201cChinese dream\u201d to build a \u201cworld-class\u201d military \u2014 essentially to challenge the United States\u2019 global dominance \u2014 by 2049. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
China\u2019s announced defense budget rose by an inflation-adjusted 5.2% from 2023 to 2024, according to the report. Still, the Pentagon warned that there is \u201cbroad consensus\u201d that China\u2019s announced budget doesn\u2019t contain all of its defense spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, China has deepened its strategic partnership with Russia \u2014 \u201calmost certainly driven by a shared interest in countering the United States,\u201d the report stated. Yet the partnership remains hindered by a persistent \u201cmutual distrust of each other.\u201d Xi, who has instructed his armed forces to be ready to seize Taiwan by 2027, has drawn lessons from Russia\u2019s setbacks in Ukraine, including operational strategies, modernizing weaponry and avoiding protracted conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stark military assessment comes amid signs of renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing. President Donald Trump said last month that he had accepted an invitation from Xi to visit China in April, and invited the Chinese leader for a state visit later next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur relationship with China is extremely strong,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social. \u201cNow we can set our sights on the big picture.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe agreed that it is important that we communicate often, which I look forward to doing,\u201d Trump added. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Pentagon’s latest annual report on the People\u2019s Liberation Army described China\u2019s recent buildup as \u201chistoric.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":107205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":86,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"10":{"categories":["pentagon","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","asia-pacific","global"],"primary_category":"pentagon"}}},"categories":[15,86],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3480],"class_list":["post-133325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"WPI3LRMZJBEIHJ5CSB2RKM2RAE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/12\/24\/chinas-military-buildup-makes-us-increasingly-vulnerable-dod-says\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n