Serbia, a Russian ally, received a powerful Chinese anti-aircraft system in a covert operation this weekend despite Western worries that weapons buildup in the Balkans during the Ukraine conflict may jeopardize the region's fragile stability.

According to media and military experts, several Chinese Air Force Y-20 cargo planes landed at Belgrade's civilian airport early Saturday, delivering HQ-22 surface-to-air missile systems for the Serbian military.

China Delivers Anti-aircraft Missiles to Russian Ally

At Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport, Chinese transport jets with military symbols were photographed. Serbia's defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment right away.

Experts saw the transfer of missiles across the borders of at least two NATO member nations, Turkey and Bulgaria, as a symbol of China's expanding global reach. "The Chinese demonstrated their power," according to Aleksandar Radic, a Serbian military specialist, as per PBS.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday that he will reveal "the newest glory" of the Serbian military on Tuesday or Wednesday, implying that the medium-range system will be delivered in 2019.

He had previously claimed that NATO nations, who constitute the majority of Serbia's neighbors, are refusing to let the system's delivery planes pass over their territory due to concerns over Russia's actions against Ukraine.

Despite voting in support of UN resolutions condemning Russia's brutal attacks in Ukraine, Serbia has failed to join international sanctions on its allies in Moscow or openly denounce the Russian forces' obvious atrocities.

Read Also: UN Ousts Russia From Human Rights Council as Official Estimates Higher Figures in Brutal Invasion of Ukraine

China Accelerates Nuclear Missile Silos

Meanwhile, China is hastening the building of more than 100 missile silos capable of housing nuclear warheads capable of reaching the United States, ostensibly to discourage American forces from engaging in a future fight over Taiwan, according to the country's authorities.

Although Beijing has accelerated its nuclear weapons growth in recent months, the government insists that its strategy is to merely keep the arsenal sufficient to protect the country's security interests.

Intelligence experts and private-sector businesses estimate China's nuclear arsenal to be in the "hundreds," significantly fewer than the United States or Russia, which each have around 4,000.

Pentagon sources said if China keeps expanding its technology at its current rate it will have slightly over 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese military leaders fear their nuclear weapons are too "outdated" to operate as a effective deterrence against an American assault.

This acceleration has alarmed American military leaders and security analysts, who fear that China may be ready to launch a "surprise nuclear strike" against the United States. According to satellite photographs acquired in January, the most sensitive work on the Chinese silos has been done, according to American intelligence experts.

The remaining 45 temporary coverings that had been placed over each of the suspected missile silos had been removed, according to photos taken from above a missile silo field in Yumen, a rural location in China's northern Gansu province.

Two smaller silo fields in western China appear to be in the early phases of development, according to Matt Korda, a senior research associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington.

The silos at each of the locations are purportedly capable of hosting the DF-41, a new long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland. In the year 2020, it was placed into service.

Military analysts claim that China is focusing more on its capabilities to respond to nuclear assaults. According to the analysts, Beijing is developing an early-warning system that can identify approaching missiles with the help of Russia.

The country also launched a satellite in February 2021 that is said to be the first blueprint for a space-based missile detection system.

Furthermore, China is claimed to be developing sophisticated weaponry capable of carrying nuclear bombs, such as hypersonic missiles, against which analysts claim the US has "proved defenses." These advancements and heavy weaponry may also provide China with a higher chance of retaliating if it struck first in a nuclear attack, Daily Mail reported.

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