Federation of American Scientists. China Nuclear Forces Guide. Available online: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/china/index.html

 

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Additional Resources Chinese Nuclear Forces, 2006 (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Chinese Nuclear Forces, 2003 (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Chinese Nuclear Forces, 2001 (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Chinese Nuclear Forces, 2000 (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Chinese Nuclear Forces, 1999 (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Remarks of Robert Walpole (CIA), at the Carnegie Endowment, September 17, 1998

China has not officially released details about the size or composition of its nuclear arsenal, making estimates difficult to develop. Much of the unclassified information compiled on China’s forces is from unverified media reports and occasional statements by intelligence or government officials. There is, in particular, much uncertainty regarding China’s deployment of strategic nuclear weapons on bombers and of tactical nuclear weapons. As a result, China’s arsenal could be much smaller than estimated here. For a discussion of this possibility, refer to:

Jeffrey Lewis, "The Ambiguous Arsenal," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/June 2005, pp. 52-59.

See also, Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen,
"Chinese Nuclear Forces, 2003," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, November/December 2003, pp. 77-80.

(Diagram/Chart of Chinese ballistic missiles, from the 1999 Cox Report)

While China has several models of ballistic missiles, only the DF-5 is an ICBM by Western standards (>5,500 km) and is capable of reaching the United States. Currently, China deploys approximately 20 DF-5 ICBMs.