Beijing has been building 110 silos, said the Pentagon and Republican Congressman on Tuesday, raising concerns about the stockpiling of Chinese nuclear weapons.
An American Federation of Scientists (AFS) discovered silos in Hami in the eastern part of Xinjiang region on Monday and sent a report.
“This is the second time in two months the public has discovered what we have been saying all along about the growing threat the world faces and the veil of secrecy that surrounds it,” said the US Strategic Command via a tweet.
Earlier even, there were erstwhile reports that informed about 120 missile silos in Yumen, a desert area about 240 miles (380 km) to the southeast.
The US Strategic Command said that China was not conforming to the agreement of minimal deterrence and was making more missiles. It called on Beijing to adhere to the original nuclear strategy and engage with “on practical measures to reduce the risks of destabilizing arms races.”
Mike Turner, Republican Congressman condemned the move by China and said that this move was meant to threaten the United States. He said that all “responsible nations” felt the same and were on the same page.
Last year’s report by Pentagon said that Chinese missiles were low but are expected to double as Beijing intends to modernise its forces. Compared to that, the US has 3,800 warheads out of which 1,357 were deployed in March 1 this year.
The silos report comes as Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is slated to have arm control talks with Russia in Geneva on Wednesday.
