http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4698655.stm

China has increased the number of short-range ballistic missiles on its coast opposite Taiwan, the US has said.

In an annual report to Congress, the Pentagon claimed there were now up to 730 such missiles in place. Last year's report found only 500.
The Pentagon said China could now be spending up to $90bn a year on defence, and that its military build-up put regional balances at risk.
But China has dismissed the claims, insisting its rise would be peaceful.
"Not only is China not a threat to anyone, but we would also like to make friends with people in every country, work together and develop mutually beneficial co-operation in order to facilitate everyone's progress," Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Wednesday.
'Credible threat'
The Pentagon report said that China did not face a threat from any other nation. Yet it found that Beijing continued to invest heavily in its military, and its modernisation plans are aimed primarily at winning a war with Taiwan.

According to the American findings, there are now between 650 and 730 short-range ballistic missiles in position opposite Taiwan, with 100 more being deployed every year.
China is also developing the capability to launch air strikes and mount a blockade against the island, the report said.
In the past, the US has cautioned both China and Taiwan not to change the status quo.
Washington is Taiwan's main arms supplier and could be drawn into any conflict.
Broader ambitions
But the Pentagon also believes that China's strategic planners are looking beyond Taiwan.
The report points to China's growing missile capability and the imminent deployment of mobile, long-range ballistic missiles, known as DF31s, which could hit targets worldwide with nuclear warheads.
The Pentagon report says Chinese defence spending could be up to $90bn this year, more than twice the estimated figure given by Beijing.
This would make it the largest military spender in Asia - and third in the world after the US and Russia.
The US itself is thought to have an approximate annual defence budget of almost $400bn, according to World Bank figures.
The Chinese navy has bought into service advanced guided missile destroyers, submarines and fighter aircraft, bought from Russia.
Over the long term, says the Pentagon, if current trends persist, the Chinese military could pose a credible threat to other modern militaries operating in the region.
According to the BBC's Pentagon correspondent Adam Brookes, this is code for American forces in Asia.
The drafting of this report has been a contentious process, reflecting divisions in Washington between those who view Chinese power as a serious emerging threat and those who take a more benign view, our correspondent says. But the final product is a document tough in substance and in tone, which will do little or nothing to reassure those Americans who worry about China's intentions, he says.

ICBM's are not the wares of a defensive force.

ICBM's are not the wares of a defensive force.

How so bulldog, I like to think that our ICBMs are defensive. To be used only in retaliation.

Actually, they're both but I like to call them deterrents. Hey, we, America, have installed quarters for Women in the once cramped silos, now they can powder their noses in peace.

China has about 50 ICBMs (mostly older generations)

is that enough to form effective deterance against other nuke powers (50 unreliable missiles....)

definitely no...

I think China should get an upgrade...I mean at least make other nuke powers to take China seriously

An ICBM is and of itself an offensive weapon. It is used to decimate infrastructures. Its only defensive property is in the MAD, Mutally Assured Destruction idea, hardly a reassuring thought. A Patriot missile is a defensive weapon. A SCUD is offensive. A SAM is a defensive weapon. A Maverick is offensive.
We can do this all day...

Now, Chi-Can, if, as you claim in your other post on another thread, China is "all about doing business" and making money why is it that they need nuclear missiles in order to be taken seriously? Japan does not have any nuclear capability and the entire world takes them seriously.

Each nation has its own nuclear doctrine.
China's doctrine is never using it first,but definitely retaliate if others hit China.

However, current missiles (50 of them, mostly first generation, unreliable ones) cannot ensure that after beng hit, China still has the effective capability to retaliate.

If CHina really wants to destroy a nation with ICBMs (clearly, that means China wants to hit either Europe or U.S, because otherwise the long-range), is 50 enough? if we minus the possiblity of missile failture, missile-defence system, and the fact that if China's mere 50 missiles are all likely destroyed during the first wave of attack by the enemy.

Perhaps you missed the question.

If, as you claim in your other post on another thread, China is "all about doing business" and making money why is it that they need nuclear missiles in order to be taken seriously? Japan does not have any nuclear capability and the entire world takes them seriously.

By saying "taken seriously", I mean when a nation wants to nuke China (since China's doctrine is to never use it first), the nation will not be scared of the consequences because China's mere old 50 ICBMs will likely pose no threat of effective retaliation...

I apologize for my lack of elaboration for that "taken seriously" clause.

Japan has no nuclear weapons and the whole world takes it seriously.
WHY does China need nuclear weapons to be taken seriously?