China sends horror WW3 threat of nuclear strike hitting in 20 minutes - 'This is war'

China has sent a chilling warning to the world as Beijing boasts of its nuclear capabilities. Victor Gao, Vice President of the Centre for China and Globalisation, said China "will not fire the first shot" but the Asian giant would "never allow a second", in explosive remarks posted on social media.

His boast, translated into English and reported by Pakistani media outlet Observer Diplomat (OD), came amid a report by the same publication of China's "advanced" military capabilities, including a missile capable of carrying 60 nuclear warheads plus one hydrogen bomb. OD said in an Instagram post: "China emphasises that any attack, conventional or nuclear, will have devastating consequences".

Neither the video nor the translation have been independently verified by the Express. OD urged its Instagram followers to watch footage of Mr Gao's reported comments "to understand China's stark stance and the implications for global security".

The BBC describes Mr Gao as a veteran loyalist of the Communist Party of China. He boasted of China's military prowess ahead of the country's marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's official surrender in World War Two.

He told Sky News ahead of a Victory Day military parade on September 3 that China would display the "best" weapons, drones and robotics "of all time" at the event. Mr Gao said the Chinese arsenal would promote peace, adding: "No country should ever dare to impose war on China."

OD reported Mr Gao as describing one weapon which he is said to have described as capable of striking any target around the world in under 20 minutes, without the possibility of it being intercepted.

News of Mr Gao's hawkish statements came amid rising global tensions and instability as conflicts rage between Russia and Ukraine and Hamas and Israel. Tensions have also escalated in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait in recent months.

Mr Gao's comment, as reported by OD, is in keeping with his country's defence policy, which stipulates that China is committed to no first use of nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances.

Its stance also includes a pledge not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.

China has 600 nuclear weapons, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Its total is dwarfed by the US, which ICAN reports as possessing 5,277, and Russia, with the most, totalling 5,449.

As of May, China had the largest armed forces in the world by active duty military personnel, with over two million active soldiers, according to Statista.

China is followed by India (1.46 million), the United Statest (1.3 million), North Korea (1.28 million) and Russia (1.1 million). The total size of Britain's full-time, trained and untrained armed forces is around 147,300 personnel, according to the House of Commons Library.