Military exercises carried out by the Chinese Army and reported on state media appear to show a new emphasis on camouflaging and manoeuvring missiles, which could indicate China is looking at increasingly the survivability of its arsenal in the event of an attack.



In order to further enhance the mobile nuclear striking power and the capability to survive attacks, China has developed new types of DF31 series ICBMs similar to the former Soviet Union train-borne SS-24. In normal days, these missiles are moved along the railroads or by trucks, while at time of war, they can be transported to selected sites and then launch nuclear assaults upon the enemy. DF31 is manufactured in Sichuan at Sichuan Areospace Industry Corporation. Reliable sources from China military industry say the major difference between DF31 and DF31A lies in their warheads. The former has single warhead, while the latter has multi-warheads."



China holds a "no first use" policy, saying it would use nuclear weapons only in response to a nuclear attack against China.