BY KEN SILVA
China’s drive at nuclear arsenal expansion is likely part of a strategy to invade Taiwan, according to Former U.S. Naval War College professor Lyle Goldstein, who has also cautioned against the United States responding with its own nuclear buildup.
“China wants to make sure the U.S. won’t use its nuclear superiority to threaten China or China’s actions in a Taiwan scenario,” Goldstein said during a May 19 conference hosted by Defense Priorities.
Goldstein’s analysis follows warnings from national security officials that China could be preparing for nuclear confrontation. The Pentagon estimated last November that the country could triple its stock of nuclear warheads to 1,000 by 2030.
But according to Goldstein, China’s buildup has little to do with direct confrontation with the United States.