For China, H-6N bomber enhances nuclear deterrence and second-strike capability

China's completion of a credible nuclear triad—particularly the operational demonstration of an air-launched ballistic missile on its H-6N strategic bomber—materially hardens Beijing's ability to deter US/allied intervention in Taiwan and the broader Indo-Pacific. For Australia, this shifts the strategic calculus underlying AUKUS, alliance cohesion, and the credibility of extended deterrence, narrowing the window in which conventional maritime superiority remains the decisive factor in a Taiwan crisis.