WASHINGTON, December 24. /TASS/. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is significantly stepping up its potential, making the US "increasingly vulnerable," the Pentagon said in a report to Congress on the Chinese military.

"China’s historic military buildup has made the US homeland increasingly vulnerable," the annual report said. The document also addressed China’s growing nuclear arsenal and other military weapons "able to directly threaten Americans’ security."

According to the Pentagon, China continues to increase its nuclear potential and plans to acquire over 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. Washington’s assessments show that Beijing had only around 600 nuclear warheads in 2024.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian commented on Reuters' excerpts of the report, saying that the US uses China’s deployment of rocket systems as a pretext to rush the modernization of its own nuclear forces. The diplomat also emphasized that China "firmly adheres to the policy of not being the first to use nuclear weapons, advocates the strategy of nuclear self-defense, and maintains nuclear potential at the lowest level necessary to ensure national security.".