March 1, 2022
Responding to China's Changing Nuclear Challenge
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has grand ambitions. It is seemingly determined to replace the United States as the preeminent power in the Pacific. Moreover, it may, at some point in the future, attempt to supersede the U.S. politically, economically, and militarily. Complicating matters further, the Sino–American bilateral relationship is currently replete with strategic distrust.

One area of China’s military buildup of increasingly deep concern to U.S. policymakers and security analysts, among others, is the PRC’s nuclear modernization program. In recent years, the world has witnessed the development of a nascent Chinese nuclear triad, with the deployment of at-sea and air-based nuclear forces; the revelation of hundreds of new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos; nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons (HSWs) advances; and increasing questions about the state and possible direction of Beijing’s nuclear doctrine.

Unfortunately, these dramatic changes come with little to no reasonable comment or explanation from Beijing, causing great concern. As a result, the United States, its allies, and partners must carefully consider these developments and craft responses to the growing Chinese nuclear threat to ensure that their interests are protected and advanced in an arena of great-power competition.

Accordingly, in response, the United States should:


- Continue to make the development and deployment of U.S. missile defense and defeat capabilities a U.S. and allied defense priority;
- Increase—alongside allies and partners—conventional deterrence against China’s growing military threat;
- Fund fully U.S. nuclear modernization capabilities to protect the homeland and provide reassurance to allies;
- Pressure China to engage in substantive diplomatic and security dialogues about these new and existing strategic weapons systems as soon as possible; and
- Review the U.S. nuclear force posture to ensure the necessary changes are made to address the potential of two nuclear peer competitors, Russia and China.
March 16, 2022 @ 3:00
pm EDT - The 2022 B.C. Lee Lecture featuring The Honorable Mike Pompeo <[link removed]>

The Heritage Foundation is honored to host former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for our signature event on U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific. Heritage’s annual B.C. Lee Lecture on international affairs was endowed by the Samsung Group in honor of its founder, the late B.C. Lee, to focus on the U.S. relationship with the Indo-Pacific.

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