China ramps up missile buildup for a Taiwan war
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- China has sharply accelerated missile production in 2025, with 81 listed firms supplying key components—more than double the 2013 figure (Bloomberg).
- Bloomberg reports that 40% of those firms posted record revenues, with combined sales rising 20% to 189 billion yuan ($28 billion) despite a broader decline among China’s top 300 listed companies.
- U.S. Department of Defense estimates the PLA Rocket Force’s missile arsenal grew by nearly 50% over four years, reaching roughly 3,500 missiles (CMPR).
- CNN notes that China expanded 60% of its 136 missile‑related facilities between 2020‑2025, adding over 21 million sq ft of floor space and expanding 65 of 99 identified sites.
- New York Times reports that China is dispersing missile deployments along its eastern coast, building larger bases, adding launch pads and mobile launchers, and practicing launches from farms, valleys, expressways and coastal outcrops near Taiwan.
Why it matters: U.S. defense planners face a 3,500‑missile threat that strains regional deterrence, while Chinese missile firms reap $28 billion in sales, boosting Beijing’s war‑fighting readiness and forcing allies to allocate more resources to counter‑missile systems.
