By – Kian Donovan;
For a rapidly militarizing state like China, such investment in nuclear potential seems like predictable and sensible security decision, and it has been justified by Chinese officials as a “vital deterrent” against the United States. There is, however, one problem with this practice: it has almost no security benefit.
In this episode, Rahul Karan Reddy from ORCA speaks to Dr. Manpreet Sethi on her recently published article titled, ‘China’s Nuclear Build-up: Implications for India’. Dr. Sethi explains the context for the latest developments surrounding China’s nuclear weapons program, detailing the factors that explain China’s decision to enhance the survivability of its nuclear arsenal. Dr. Sethi discusses how the latest developments influence the nuclear posture of other East Asian states like Japan and South Korea, who face an increasingly belligerent North Korea and share apprehensions about China’s military posture. For India, Dr. Sethi argues that the focus ought to be on enhancing conventional capabilities rather than engaging in an action-reaction spiral with China. Click here to read Dr. Sethi’s article mentioned in the podcast.