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The anatomy of China’s nuclear surge | DW News
April 24, 2026
Posted 5 hours ago by
For decades, China had a minimal nuclear force. Now it is rapidly transforming into a nuclear superpower. Under Xi Jinping, Beijing is driving a surge in warhead numbers and building one of the world’s most advanced missile arsenals. But why? What are these weapons for – and what kinds of conflict is China preparing for? In this special production, DW’s Richard Walker investigates, speaking to some of the world’s leading experts on Chinese nuclear strategy and doctrine, the factors shaping its missile program, and how nuclear conflict can break out.
Part 1 examines China’s strategic breakout. Part 2 offers a detailed guide to its missile arsenal. Part 3 dives into its nuclear doctrine. Featuring insights from James Acton, Brian Hart, Sarah Kirchberger, Matthew Kroenig, Manpreet Sethi, Zhao Tong, and Zhou Bo. For more on China’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) silos, also see DW’s “Decoding Putin and Xi's blueprint for a new world order” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4-ZC_fd19Y Chapters: 00:00 Why is Xi going nuclear? 04:54 Part 1: Breakout 06:27 “Make enemies worry” 08:22 “Vast and multifaceted” 09:07 Putin’s inspiration 10:47 “Check-mated” 12:02 The silos 14:26 China’s hints 15:56 Preparing for conflict 16:59 Part 2: The Arsenal 17:22 China’s triad 18:14 Submarine troubles 22:16 MIRV technology 23:43 China’s biggest missile 25:33 “Guam Killer” 27:08 Hypersonic missiles 28:22 “Across the board” 29:24 Part 3: Doctrine 30:18 Nuclear threats 31:57 Taiwan 32:58 No First Use 35:50 Questions mount 37:12 Launch Under Attack 38:21 False alarms 40:00 Limited nuclear war 41:57 “Nuclear war is a spectrum” 43:34 World-changing ambition #dwgeopolitics #china #xijinping #nuclear For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/ Follow DW on social media: ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews ►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dwnews ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/ ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: https://www.youtube.com/dwdeutsch Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish?sub_confirmation=1
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