China building massive military complex for nuclear strike capability — Reuters
Photo: Chinese leader Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
China is deploying a massive military complex in a remote desert in the northwest. The facility is being built to protect its nuclear arsenal from a potential US attack and to ensure the capability for a retaliatory strike, according to Reuters.
Satellite images show that Beijing is creating an extensive network of launch pads, bunkers, and communication nodes. All of the infrastructure is located near the isolated Hami nuclear silo, where China’s longest-range missiles are stored.
In the northwest of the country, more than 80 launch sites and three large octagonal structures have already been built. According to security experts, these facilities could be used for:
- Deploying a fleet of mobile missile launchers
- Deploying anti-aircraft batteries, the number of which is growing
- Electronic warfare (EW), satellite communications, and operations control.
"We can see this infrastructure is being built on a grand scale, covering thousands of square kilometers of desert beyond the silo fields," notes Alexander Neill, a research fellow at the Pacific Forum think tank.
Mysterious octagons and military equipment
The new infrastructure is concentrated primarily around two octagonal structures in eastern Xinjiang, built over the past six years. They are located 140 and 230 kilometers from the nuclear mines.
Photo: Octagonal structures in China (reuters.com)
Photo: Octagonal structures in China (reuters.com)
Photo: Octagonal structures in China (reuters.com)
Viewed from space, the facilities appear to contain living quarters for personnel, large military equipment, and launch pads. All of this is surrounded by armored bunkers and fortified weapons depots. The complexes are connected to the Hami mines by rail stations and airfields. In addition, dirt roads and pipelines lead to the sites.
In April, military exercises involving heavy equipment were conducted around the northern complex. Analysts also spotted camouflaged launch pads equipped with anti-aircraft missile batteries.
Test site and mock-ups of Western fighter jets
The third octagonal structure is located further south, near the Lop Nur nuclear test sites. It is less developed and, judging by the images, is used as a testing ground. The area is pockmarked with craters, and damaged buildings and mock-ups of Western fighter jets are visible.
Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project, emphasizes that the scale of the construction is unprecedented.
"I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s an extraordinary effort," the expert concludes.
The large-scale expansion of military infrastructure is linked to Beijing’s intention to secure its ground forces. According to security experts, the main goal of creating the complex is to ensure that no US first strike against China’s nuclear arsenal can deprive the Chinese army of the ability to launch a retaliatory strike.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that wrong decisions regarding Taiwan could lead to conflicts between China and the US.
Earlier, the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Kyrylo Budanov, reported that fears of a possible Russian nuclear strike, which are spreading in Ukraine, were unfounded.
