China appears to be accelerating the expansion of its nuclear arsenal and may be exploring the development of non-nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking the US, according to a new Pentagon report.

Beijing’s stockpile of operational nuclear warheads had reached 500 by May 2023, putting it on track to exceed previous projections, according to the report, an annual survey of Chinese military capabilities mandated by Congress. It forecast that China would probably have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030.

The report added that the development of conventional, non-nuclear ICBMs “would allow the People’s Republic of China to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental US, Hawaii and Alaska”.