In a remote Chinese desert, a massive military complex is taking shape, which some security experts say appears designed to ensure that a first US strike on China’s nuclear arsenal does not eliminate Beijing’s ability to respond.
Chinese nuclear missiles can actually reach any American city. Now, satellite images show that Beijing is building a sprawling network of launch pads, bunkers and communications nodes near isolated nuclear silos that house the Chinese military’s longest-range missiles.The ability to protect its desert silos is a key element in achieving China’s stated goal of establishing a minimal but credible nuclear deterrent – a policy that is based on the ability to retaliate if struck first. While the PLA can launch nuclear weapons from submarines and aircraft, the silo fields in the northwestern region of Xinjiang and Gansu Province are the core of its nuclear forces.The cornerstone of Chinese doctrine is the “no first use” policy. This month, Xi warned US President Donald Trump that mishandling their countries’ disputes over Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, could lead them to a “dangerous place.”Octagons in the desertThe new desert infrastructure is centered on two octagon-shaped facilities built over the past six years in eastern Xinjiang. Both are located to the southwest of the Hami silo nuclear fields, one about 140 kilometers away and the other about 230 kilometers away.
The pictures show that the exercises, which included large military vehicles, took place around the Northern Octagon this month and during April.Satellite images show that the octagonal structures contain housing for personnel and large military vehicles. It is surrounded by armored bunkers and fortified weapons storage areas, as well as airfields and railway heads connecting the octagons to the Hami silos.Five security experts interviewed by Reuters agreed that large-scale infrastructure could support China’s nuclear program as well as other military purposes.
But they warned that key details were still unknown, including what weapons China might deploy in the launchers and whether the octagonal structures contained truck-mounted ballistic missiles or facilities to mount nuclear warheads.US officials and arms control analysts say China is expanding and improving its nuclear weapons capabilities faster than any other country. The latest Pentagon report on China’s military modernization says the country’s warhead production has slowed, but it is on track to produce 1,000 warheads by 2030.
The December report estimated that China had likely loaded 100 ICBMs across its three main fields.China is also working to strengthen its early warning system, according to US officials. The system can detect an incoming ICBM within 90 seconds of launch and alert the command center within three to four minutes, according to the Pentagon, enough time for China to launch its silo-based weapons before hitting them.Defense distinguishes ChinaIt is worth noting that each octagonal shape is located at the heart of a network of dirt roads and canals that extend deep into the desert. These roads connect to concrete pads. These platforms could be used to deploy mobile air defense missiles, electronic warfare points or, from some larger missiles, road-mobile ICBM launchers, three security experts said. Although it’s difficult to determine how different facilities are used, “it’s hard to rule anything out,” said Hans Christensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project of the Federation of American Scientists.The extent of the defense network close to its silos will likely set China apart from other major nuclear powers. The United States and Russia — whose stockpiles of warheads and deployed weapons exceed those of Beijing — rely on a combination of massive numbers of silos, their relative isolation and hardened architecture to deter a first strike, rather than comprehensive missile defense, Christensen said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Christensen said.
“It’s an extraordinary effort.”(This is a Reuters report)
