China Says Its Nukes Can 'Easily Destroy' US Cities

China's state-run media have revealed for the first time Beijing's potential for attacking U.S. cities with submarine-launched nuclear missiles, The Washington Times reports.

The Washington Times reports an article in the Global Times features a map showing damage projections for nuclear attacks on Seattle and Los Angeles, with radiation reaching as far east as Chicago, The Washington Times noted.

"Because the Midwest states of the U.S. are sparsely populated, in order to increase the lethality, nuclear attacks should mainly target the key cities on the West Coast, such as Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego," the Global Times observed.

China's submarine fleet reportedly includes about 70 vessels, with at least four capable of launching nuclear missiles.

The Global Times article also asserts that China can launch land-based ballistic missiles over the North Pole that can "easily destroy" U.S. cities in the East, including New York, the Washington newspaper reports.