In a new report, the Pentagon has revised its past estimates of China's nuclear arsenal. The revised number of Chinese nuclear warheads is more than double the amount envisaged one year ago.

A Pentagon report released to Congress Wednesday said China was expanding the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal at a speed much greater than the US Department of Defense had predicted one year ago.

The report found that China has broadened and accelerated the rate at which it upgrades its military arsenals. Beijing has publicly stated that it wishes to match or exceed the United States as a global superpower by the middle of the 21st century.

In its report, the Pentagon states that it believes China could increase the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal to 1,000 by 2030, while also not disclosing the number China has at present. Just one year ago, the Pentagon asserted China had around 200 nuclear warheads and that this arsenal would likely double in size by 2030.

Does China have the nuclear triad?
The Pentagon believes that China may have the trio of delivery system mechanisms known as the nuclear triad for launching a nuclear payload by air, land and sea that the US and Russia have had for decades.