China has significantly expanded its nuclear stockpile over the past year and is now holding some 500 operational warheads, the US has said, Report informs, citing BBC.
An annual report released by the Pentagon also said Beijing hopes to double its arsenal to over 1,000 warheads by 2030.
But it said China remained committed to a "no-first strike" policy.
While the report said the growth exceeded projections, China's stockpile is still dwarfed by Russia and the US.
Russia has a nuclear arsenal of some 5,889 warheads, while the US can field 5,244, according to the independent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
In 2021 the Department of Defense estimated China had around 400 warheads.