London, Feb 3 (NationPress) During the recent visit of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to China, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping notably omitted discussions about Beijing's rapid and secretive nuclear weapons buildup. Issues like human rights violations, espionage, and Taiwan were also left unaddressed, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Citing the 2025 findings from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), the UK’s prominent newspaper, The Guardian, reported that while China currently has around 600 warheads, it is swiftly advancing to match other nuclear nations.

According to Sipri, “China’s nuclear stockpile is expanding at an unprecedented rate, estimated at about 100 new warheads annually since 2023. By the end of this decade, it could possess as many ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles] as Russia or the USA.”

The report highlights that Beijing has provided no clear justification for this substantial increase and has refused to engage in multilateral arms control discussions.

In a white paper released last November, China reiterated its stance that nations with the largest nuclear arsenals should take the first step by making significant unilateral reductions. Until that occurs, it asserts that it will maintain its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level necessary for national security, although the paper did not specify what that level entails.

Despite its current advantages, the report indicated that the US remains wary, with the Pentagon issuing a warning in December that “China’s historic military expansion has increased vulnerability to the US homeland.”

The Pentagon also noted a more aggressive nuclear stance, claiming that around 100 ICBMs were recently deployed in silos across northern China, and that Beijing is enhancing its capacity “to target US forces in the Pacific,” which could jeopardize future US military support for Taiwan.

“China aims to be prepared to engage in and prevail in a conflict over Taiwan by the close of 2027,” The Guardian quoted the Pentagon.

The report concluded with a sobering note: “Regardless of President Xi’s intentions, these are troubling times for anyone concerned about the threat of global thermonuclear conflict - a concern we all should share. Prime Minister Starmer’s conversation with Xi allegedly included matters related to threats against UK national security. What could be a more pressing threat than the proliferation of nuclear arms? Yet, to date, it appears he did not address this critical issue.”