Researchers warned on the 7th that nuclear-armed countries are removing nuclear weapons from storage and deploying them onto delivery systems. As weapons of mass destruction play an increasingly important role in global politics, the world faces ever-growing nuclear risks.
According to Agence France-Presse, Sweden's Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) stated that nuclear-armed countries currently possess an estimated 12,187 nuclear warheads worldwide, around 9,745 of which are in active stockpiles.
This figure is slightly lower compared to the previous year, because since the end of the Cold War, the rate of dismantling old warheads has generally outpaced the speed of deploying new ones, leading to a continued reduction in the total number of nuclear warheads.
However, SIPRI director Dan Smith told AFP that the real concern is, although the total number of nuclear weapons is decreasing, the threat and risk posed by nuclear weapons is actually increasing.
SIPRI predicts that the trend of shrinking global nuclear stockpiles may reverse in the coming years. The institute stated that this is because "the rate of nuclear weapons dismantlement is slowing, while the deployment of new nuclear weapons is continuously accelerating."
● Intensifying Competition Among Nuclear Powers
Smith also pointed out several worrying signs, including the collapse of international strategic arms control mechanisms and intensifying competition between nuclear powers.
Smith said another concerning trend is that "nuclear-armed countries are removing nuclear weapons from storage and deploying them on delivery systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads. As a result, we are seeing more deployed nuclear weapons."
● China Currently Owns 620 Nuclear Warheads
The US and Russia together control about 83% of the world's nuclear arsenals, with each country possessing over 5,000 warheads; China, however, is expanding its arsenal faster than any other nation.
Smith analyzed: "Rising geopolitical competition is prompting China to rely more heavily on nuclear weapons."
SIPRI estimates China currently owns 620 nuclear warheads. Depending on its military deployment, China could possess a number of intercontinental ballistic missiles comparable to the US and Russia by 2030.
However, the institute noted that even if China's warhead count grows to 1,000 by then, it would still only make up about a quarter of the nuclear arsenals of the US or Russia.