While the invasion of Ukraine has raised tensions in Europe, strategic competition between the United States and China is escalating in the Pacific.

Conversations about U.S.-China competition are often centered on the balance of the conventional forces in the Western Pacific and whether or not the U.S. could defend Taiwan from attack. Less attention has been paid to the dangerous implications of Chinese strategic nuclear expansion, which poses a serious long-term threat to America’s ability to deter Communist China’s aggression. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated how difficult it is to protect allies when our rivals can shield their conventional warfare behind the threat of nuclear force. To avoid the mistakes made with Russia, American leaders must adopt a strong response to Chinese nuclear expansion. They must renew their commitment to modernizing the American strategic nuclear arsenal and expand missile and missile defense cooperation with partners in the Western Pacific. Further, U.S. officials must attempt to engage China in arms control dialogue to limit its nuclear and missile forces.