China has accelerated its nuclear weapons production, expanded its missile program, and was worried the United States would start a war before the 2020 election, according to a new Pentagon report.

The report also notes that then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper directed Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to make a reassuring phone call to his Chinese military counterpart in the run-up to the election, which was among several calls Milley made to China that later sparked accusations from Republicans that he was disloyal to then-President Donald Trump.

The report, called “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” says China could have 700 nuclear warheads by 2027, and at least 1,000 by 2030. Last year’s report said China had a nuclear stockpile of about 200 warheads, and that could double over the next decade.

A senior defense official said China’s growing nuclear arsenal “exceeds expectations” from the 2020 Pentagon China report but denied that the current trajectory would put China on parity with the U.S. for number of nuclear warheads by the end of this decade.

source yahoo.com