In 2011 , high estimates of the Chinese nuclear arsenal again emerged . One three-year study by Georgetown University raised the possibility that China had 3,000 nuclear weapons , hidden in a sophisticated tunnel network . The study was based on state media footage showing tunnel entrances , and estimated a 4,800 km ( 3,000 mile ) network . The tunnel network was revealed after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake collapsed tunnels in the hills . China has confirmed the existence of the tunnel network . In response , the US military was ordered by law to study the possibility of this tunnel network concealing a nuclear arsenal . However , the tunnel theory has come under substantial attack due to several apparent flaws in its reasoning . From a production standpoint , China probably does not have enough fissile material to produce 3,000 nuclear weapons . Such an arsenal would require 9 – 12 tons of plutonium as well as 45 – 75 tons of enriched uranium and a substantial amount of tritium . The Chinese are estimated to have only 2 tons of weapons-grade plutonium , which limits their arsenal to 450 – 600 weapons , despite a 16-ton disposable supply of uranium , theoretically enough for 1,000 warheads
2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
China and weapons of mass destruction