China's Nuclear Surge: A Response the West Ignores?

Western analysts warn of China's rapid nuclear expansion. But Beijing sees a different threat. Experts say stability requires understanding China's view. From Beijing, the advanced conventional forces of the U.S. and its allies appear overwhelming. These include precise missiles, superior naval power, and regional military alliances. Chinese officials call their nuclear build-up a "necessary modernization." They argue it is a defensive response to this perceived conventional imbalance. The goal, they state, is to ensure a reliable deterrent. Without honestly grappling with this perspective, analysts conclude, no stable strategic future is possible. The risk of miscalculation grows when each side views the other's military plans in isolation. The path to stability, they argue, runs through seeing the board from the other side of the table.