Russia And China Announces Long-term Agreement To Develop Nuclear Weapons

Russia and China have announced a long-term agreement to develop fast breeder nuclear reactors optimized for plutonium production for nuclear weapons, which has raised concerns among US Department of Defense officials and military planners.

According to Bloomberg, Russia’s state-owned Rosatom nuclear power company has transferred 25 tons of highly-enriched uranium to China’s CFR-600 nuclear reactor, which has the capacity to produce 50 nuclear warheads a year.

The US has assessed that the CFR-600 will be critical in building China’s nuclear arsenal from 400 warheads to 1,500 by 2035.

However, China has denied this assessment and claims the reactor is part of its civilian power grid.

Russia’s increased nuclear assistance to China comes after the two leaders declared a “no limits” partnership shortly before Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

This move reflects Russia’s desire for increased cooperation with China in dealing with the West and the recognition that a breakdown in Russia-China relations would adversely affect Russian interests at this critical time.

The ongoing Ukraine conflict has also raised the possibility that foreign arms orders may be redirected to replace Russia’s battle losses, and the poor performance of Russian weapons in the war may have dented their appeal among foreign buyers.

Nevertheless, Russia’s assistance could be instrumental in China’s efforts to rapidly expand its nuclear arsenal, which aims to increase the survivability of its arsenal in a potential war scenario.