New Global Nuclear Arms Race Feared as Russia Ships Massive Load of Uranium to China

The US and Russia have nearly 6,000 nuclear warheads currently, while emerging superpower China has a only about 350, as per data held by the International Panel on Fissile Materials.

However, the dragon could end up increasing the number of its nuclear warheads four-fold in the next 12 years and eventually even catch up with the US and Russia, according to projections by the US intelligence officials.

Strategic Fast-Breeder Reactor

All this is possible because Russia is shipping a ‘massive load of nuclear fuel’ to a strategic Chinese fast-breeder reactor situated close to Taiwan’s northern cost, according to Bloomberg News.

China’s CFR-600 fast-breeder reactor on Changbiao Island has the capacity to start producing weapons-grade plutonium that can potentially help China increase its nuclear arsenal significantly, the US fears.

The Russia-fulled Chinese mission to increase nuclear weapons arsenal will also boost the nuclear arms race, which has been on the back-burner for some decades owing to non-proliferation treaties. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared last week that he would put on hold the strategic START arms reduction treaty with the US. Putin said this was necessitated by the aggressive western assistance to Ukraine.

Putin’s Aggressive Stance

Putin said he has ordered new strategic systems to be deployed on combat duty, signalling a willingness to walk the talk on the nuclear threat if pushed to the limits in Ukraine. “If the United States conducts tests, then we will. No one should have dangerous illusions that global strategic parity can be destroyed … A week ago, I signed a decree on putting new ground-based strategic systems on combat duty,” Putin added.

Clearly, a new nuclear arms race is about to unfold as China, the US and Russia dropping all semblance of restraint. Russia has already declared the intent to conduct more tests and add weapons, citing new and emerging threat from the expansionist NATO. And if China goes ahead with its own ambitions to increase the number of nuclear weapons the US will be forced to beef up its nuclear weapons program as well.

The Bloomberg report cites a German arms control expert as saying that the new nuclear arms race scenario is unfolding. “Clearly, China is benefiting from Russian support … ” said Hanna Notte. The expert adds that the risk of China increasing its warheads will coax the US into doing the same, while Russia has already cited the US threat and declared an intent to go aggressively on nuclear expansion.

China’s Rising Stockpile of Warheads

According to projections by the US Department of Defense, the number of China’s nuclear warheads can increase to about 1,5000 from about 350 currently. The CFR-600 nuclear facility is going to play a significant role in this expansion.

It is in this context that the huge Russian supply of uranium to China assumes significance. According to Pentagon officials, Russian state-owned Rosatom Corporation supplied about 6,477 kilograms of uranium to the Chinese plant in December.

Though the Pentagon says this could fuel another global nuclear arms race, China has rejected the claim, saying that its fast breeder nuclear program is entirely civilian. Beijing says it has also fulfilled its nuclear non-proliferation obligations and voluntarily submitted details of its civil nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

US Warning Ignored

Bloomberg reports that China ignored the US warning when it went ahead with purchasing the huge Russian fuel. Between September and December, the Russian state-owned company sold 25,000 kilograms of CFR-600 fuel. The Chinese paid about $384 million in three installments to Rosatom in that period.

According to projections by the US Department of Defense, the number of China’s nuclear warheads can increase to about 1,5000 from about 350 currently. The CFR-600 nuclear facility is going to play a significant role in this expansion.

It is in this context that the huge Russian supply of uranium to China assumes significance. According to Pentagon officials, Russian state-owned Rosatom Corporation supplied about 6,477 kilograms of uranium to the Chinese plant in December.

China Rejects Claim

Though the Pentagon says this could fuel another global nuclear arms race, China has rejected the claim, saying that its fast breeder nuclear program is entirely civilian. Beijing says it has also fulfilled its nuclear non-proliferation obligations and voluntarily submitted details of its civil nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

According to China, the CFR-600 is part of its $440 billion nuclear energy program that will eventually help the Dragon overtake the US as the world’s top nuclear-energy provider.

Though analysts reckon that the CFR-600 is largely geared towards nuclear energy, worsening geopolitical situations and the roiling of ties between the US and China can push thing to take a turn for the worse. Combined with the emerging Russia-China axis in the context of the ongoing Ukraine war, the scenario gives rise to concerns over a potential new nuclear arms race, they say.