An annual Pentagon report on China's military detailed on Dec. 18 the faster-than-expected expansion of China's nuclear arsenal to 600 warheads in 2024. China's medium-range ballistic missile arsenal had also grown to 1,300 missiles — with ranges optimal for striking Japan and the Philippines — up from 1,000 in 2023, and the report added that China may be exploring developing conventionally armed intercontinental-range missile systems, which could threaten Hawaii and Alaska.