Trump: China’s nuclear arsenal is expected to catch up with the United States within five years

U.S. President Trump said in an interview with the U.S. conservative media Newsmax on Thursday (October 15) that he is communicating with Russia and China on nuclear disarmament issues, saying he hopes to promote the denuclearization process.

"I would very much like to have denuclearization if possible. We are indeed in communication with Russia and China on this," he said.

Trump said China's nuclear arsenal currently lags behind that of the United States and Russia, but he expects China to catch up with the United States within the next five years. He said that because of this, China is less willing to disarmament, but relevant communication is still in progress.

"So their (China's) will is not that strong. But yes, we do communicate (nuclear disarmament). We talk about it a lot."

Trump has previously mentioned that the three countries have communicated on nuclear disarmament issues, but he did not provide more details, nor did he disclose the specific number of negotiations or the results of the negotiations.

Previously, China had refused to participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations proposed by the United States and Russia.

Trump’s remarks come months after the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expired. The treaty was signed by the United States and Russia in April 2010 and will expire on February 5, 2026 after one extension. The Reuters report pointed out that if another extension is required, an administrative decision will be required to voluntarily extend the limit period set by the treaty.

According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia currently has 5,420 nuclear warheads and the United States has 5,042. A Reuters report pointed out that although Russia has the largest inventory of nuclear warheads, the United States exceeds Russia in terms of the number of deployed nuclear warheads.

At the same time, according to SIPRI, China currently has about 620 nuclear warheads, and its nuclear arsenal is expanding faster than any other country. China demonstrated several new nuclear systems at the 2025 military parade.