China could risk a repeat of the Cuban Missile Crisis by deploying its DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missile to Cuba if the United States decides to deploy tactical nuclear missiles to the Asia-Pacific, according to Fujian-based news portal Taihainet.
Nuclear non-proliferation laws prevent the US from deploying nuclear weapons to South Korea or any members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The nearest deployment it would be able to get to China would be Japan or Australia, both countries where the public does not want such weapons on their soil. The US government is only able to work with them in secret, according to the report.
The deployment of a nuclear weapon in any shape or form to the Asia-Pacific would most likely backfire in the form of anti-American resentment among strategic allies. The only way the US could inch closer to China's soil and prevent a diplomatic crisis would be to deploy the weapons to Guam.
With its own nuclear arsenal, China has various ways to defend against the deployment of American nuclear weapons to the region. One would be to deploy DF-31 ICBM to Cuba, only 145 kilometers away from Florida's Key West. The DF-31 is reported to have a range of 11,200 kilometers. Armed with either neutron or nuclear warheads, the missiles could devastate targets on US soil, according to the report.
wantchinatimes
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