On December 18, the US Department of Defense released the 2024 Report on Military and Security Developments Related to China, also known as the China Military Power Report.

This is an annual report required by the US Congress, which provides information, analysis and assessment of China's national, economic and military strategy, providing perspective on the country's military strategy, current activities and capabilities as well as future modernization goals.

The Chinese military’s progress toward its goal of modernizing by 2027, the 100th anniversary of its founding, is “uneven,” according to a Pentagon report. Corruption also affects all branches of the Chinese military. In the second half of 2023, corruption-related investigations led to the removal of at least 15 senior military and defense officials.

China's defense budget for 2023 is reportedly $220 billion, allowing the country to focus on modernizing weapons, equipment, recruiting troops and strengthening strategic capabilities.

China’s nuclear arsenal has grown rapidly in both quantity and quality over the past year. The Pentagon estimates that China will have more than 600 operational nuclear warheads by mid-2024, up 100 a year, and will have more than 1,000 by 2030.

China has been developing technology and improving the quality of its nuclear arsenal, diversifying its delivery vehicles not only with strategic submarines but also a fleet of bombers and missile systems that can carry lower-yield nuclear warheads, Mr. Chase said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in August that China's nuclear strategy focuses on self-defense and that Beijing has always maintained its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required by national security, according to the Financial Times . She said the United States is the main source of nuclear threats and strategic risks in the world.