US Calls Buildup of China's Nuclear Arsenal 'Concerning'

WASHINGTON - The United States said Thursday that China's rapid buildup of its nuclear forces was concerning and called on Beijing to engage with it "on practical measures to reduce the risks of destabilizing arms races."

The buildup has become more apparent, and it appears China was deviating from decades of nuclear strategy based around minimal deterrence, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told a regular news briefing. Price was responding to a question about a report in The Washington Post that said China had begun constructing more than 100 new missile silos in a desert area in the western part of the country. "These reports and other developments suggest that the PRC's nuclear arsenal will grow more quickly, and to a higher level than perhaps previously anticipated," Price said using the acronym for the People's Republic of China.