China's nuclear and military buildup raises the risk of conflict in Asia

BEIJING — It was already a dangerous race: China versus the United States, each pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into missiles, submarines, warplanes and ships, vying to dominate the Indo-Pacific.

That race may now go nuclear.

A Pentagon report released this month estimated that China may have 700 nuclear warheads by 2027 and 1,000 by 2030 — a dramatic increase from last year's assessment that China's 200 or so warheads would only double over the next decade.

The Pentagon noted that China's nuclear delivery platforms and supporting infrastructure indicate it may already possess a "nuclear triad" capable of launching missiles from the air, ground and sea. China may also be moving toward a "launch-on-warning" posture, it said, meaning it would have ready-to-fire missiles in response to an immediate threat, similar to the "high alert" postures the U.S. and Russia have had in place since the Cold War.

The sudden buildup of nuclear force suggests a possible change in China's strategy from its traditional "minimum deterrence" stance to one that is