Defense

China re-engineeres ballistic missiles, surprises United States

China, under President Xi Jinping's leadership, has re-engineered many of its long-range ballistic missiles to carry multiple warheads after years of maintaining a minimal nuclear force, according to a media report. China's move has put US President Barack Obama under more pressure than ever to deploy missile defence systems in the Pacific, The New York Times reported. China's decision to make some missiles more powerful is "particularly notable" since the technology of miniaturising warheads and putting three or more atop a single missile had been in Chinese hands for decades, the report said.