China has reportedly loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles into three newly built silo fields near its border with Mongolia and has little interest in arms control talks, according to a draft Pentagon report reviewed by Reuters.
The assessment highlights Beijing’s accelerating military buildup, with the report noting that China is expanding and modernizing its nuclear forces faster than any other nuclear-armed nation. Chinese officials have frequently dismissed such findings as attempts to “smear and defame China and deliberately mislead the international community.”
The Pentagon declined to comment when contacted by Digital about the Reuters report.
Last month, the U.S. President said he may pursue denuclearization discussions with China and Russia. The Pentagon report, however, concluded that Beijing does not seem inclined to engage.
“We continue to see no appetite from Beijing for pursuing such measures or more comprehensive arms control discussions,” the report stated.
Per the assessment, China has likely loaded over 100 solid-fueled DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missiles into silo fields near the Mongolian border. While the Pentagon had previously revealed the existence of the silo fields, it had not publicly estimated how many missiles had been placed inside them.
China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The report did not identify potential targets for the newly loaded missiles and may be revised before it is formally submitted to Congress, U.S. officials said.
China’s nuclear warhead stockpile stayed in the low 600s in 2024, which the report described as a slower production rate compared to prior years. Still, Beijing is on track to exceed 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.
China says it follows a nuclear strategy of self-defense and maintains a . But analysts argue that Beijing’s public messaging is increasingly at odds with that restraint.
“For a country that still advocates a ‘no-first use’ policy, China has grown more comfortable displaying its nuclear arsenal—including together for the first time in September,” said Jack Burnham, a senior research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Burnham noted that Beijing’s rejection of arms control talks mirrors the pace of its weapons development. “China has no interest in locking itself into a long-term strategic disadvantage and fully intends to build an arsenal that matches its perceived place in the world, alongside and potentially eventually ahead of the United States,” he said.
The report also cautioned that China aims to be able to fight and win by the end of 2027. Beijing claims the self-governed island as its territory and has never ruled out the use of force.
China is refining plans to seize Taiwan by “brute force,” including long-range strikes up to 2,000 nautical miles from the mainland that could disrupt U.S. military operations in the Asia-Pacific, the report said.
The findings come as the 2010 , the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, nears expiration. The treaty limits both sides to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads.
“What’s surprising is that China has only loaded about 100 of the silos it recently built,” said Gordon Chang. “That suggests funding is tight in the People’s Liberation Army.”
Chang warned against extending the New START Treaty without Beijing’s involvement. “This is no time for the U.S. to agree to extend the New START Treaty with Russia,” he said. “Russia and China are de facto allies, and they’re ganging up on America. Without China in the deal—Beijing has outright rejected every U.S. nuclear arms control initiative—no treaty can serve U.S. interests.”
Reuters contributed to this report.