As China advances its nuclear weapons programs and works to close some of the major nuclear gaps between it and other major powers, some controversy is developing over whether these developments will lead to changes in its “no first strike” nuclear policy. With a kind of naval arms race and regional power positioning between the U.S. and China in the Pacific (particularly the South China Sea), nuclear development by China may be accompanied by a shift in policy in order to more effectively act as a deterrent. At the moment, however, analysts indicate that China has not yet developed capabilities to make a first strike against the U.S. possible, rendering such a policy change meaningless until such a technical capability is achieved.
Source: Is China about to abandon its ‘no first use’ nuclear weapons policy? | South China Morning Post
