A Pentagon official has called on China to open crisis communications channels with the U.S. as Beijing expands its nuclear arsenal. The official emphasized the importance of escalation management in the Indo-Pacific and expressed concern over China's lack of enthusiasm for setting up communication channels. The Pentagon's 2022 China military power report revealed that China has more Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launchers than the United States and projected that it will likely field a stockpile of about 1,500 warheads by 2035. The Biden administration's National Defense Strategy prioritizes deterring China in the Indo-Pacific.
image sourced from original article at https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2023/08/01/pentagons-strategy-planner-wants-china-crisis-channels/Original article source: https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2023/08/01/pentagons-strategy-planner-wants-china-crisis-channels/
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