In order to be sure that no American first strike could prevent Beijing from retaliating, China has constructed a network of several launch pads close to its nuclear missile silos.
Beijing is constructing a vast network of launch pads, shelters, and communications nodes close to the remote nuclear silos that house the Chinese military’s longest-range missiles, according to satellite pictures.
In the isolated northwest, next to the Hami nuclear silo area, more than 80 launch pads and three octagon-shaped installations have been constructed.
According to security specialists, the photos also depict infrastructure that may be utilized for satellite communications and command operations, mobile air-defense missiles, or electronic warfare nodes.
The size of the project suggests a massive increase of infrastructure intended to safeguard and run China’s nuclear assets stationed on land.
“We can see this infrastructure is being built on a grand scale, covering thousands of square kilometers of desert beyond the silo fields,” said Alexander Neill, an adjunct fellow at Hawaii’s Pacific Forum think tank. The network represents a significant upgrade in Beijing’s efforts to ensure second-strike capability, escalating nuclear competition with the US as tensions rise.
“We’re looking at a very considerable enhancement and diversification of China’s strategic nuclear deterrent,” he stated, depending on the specific capabilities.
Near its nuclear missile silos, China has established a network of several launch pads. Octagon-shaped installations are the focal point of the new desert infrastructure.
Commercial satellite imagery shows one of the numerous concrete pads.
The pictures depict locations that could be utilized for satellite communications and command operations, electronic warfare nodes, or mobile air defense missiles.
Security experts claim that the satellite image depicts a guarded weapons storage facility.
Railway lines, a rail terminal, an airstrip, potential fuel storage, and reinforced bunkers surrounding the site are all visible on satellite imagery.
The octagon-shaped installations in eastern Xinjiang that have been constructed during the last six years are the focal point of the new desert infrastructure. The buildings house both major military vehicles and staff.
China is developing its nuclear weapons capabilities more quickly than any other country, according to US officials and arms-control experts.
One of the most closely examined aspects of President Xi Jinping’s military modernization is China’s nuclear build-up.
Beijing’s lack of transparency and the US’s unsuccessful attempts to discuss its changing nuclear capabilities and intentions with the Chinese leadership are described by several foreign officials.
China’s ‘no first use’ policy, which states that its forces would not start a nuclear exchange, is a fundamental component of its doctrine.
However, according to some senior Western academics and officials, China might use nuclear force to prevent outside intervention in a Taiwan dispute.
This month, Xi cautioned US President Donald Trump that improper management of their nations’ disputes over Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, may put them in a “dangerous place.” China’s claim to sovereignty is rejected by Taiwan’s government.
According to the photos, huge military vehicle exercises took place in the northern octagon this month and throughout April.
Large tents and what two analysts claimed to be camouflaged launch locations carved out of the desert, some with air-defense missile batteries, are also seen in recent photos.
