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China is constructing a sprawling network of launch pads, armored bunkers, and communications nodes near its most sensitive nuclear missile silos in a remote northwestern desert, satellite images reviewed by Reuters show, a development security analysts say signals a major upgrade to Beijing's second-strike capability.
The images reveal more than 80 concrete pads spread across thousands of square kilometers of desert in the Xinjiang region, linked by a web of dirt roads and underground conduits to two large octagon-shaped military installations. The facilities could support mobile missile launchers, air-defense batteries, and electronic warfare operations, according to three security analysts who assessed the imagery.
"We can see this infrastructure is being built on a grand scale," said Alexander Neill, an adjunct fellow at Hawaii's Pacific Forum think tank. "We're looking at a very considerable enhancement and diversification of China's strategic nuclear deterrent."
The scale of the construction has not been previously reported and comes as nuclear competition between Washington and Beijing intensifies over issues including Taiwan's sovereignty. China's nuclear missiles are already capable of reaching any city in the United States.
U.S. officials say China is expanding its nuclear capabilities faster than any other nation and is on track to field 1,000 warheads by 2030.
Analysts cautioned that key details remain unknown, including precisely what weapons China intends to deploy at the launch pads. However, the breadth of the infrastructure left even veteran observers taken aback.
"I've never seen anything quite like it," said Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Nuclear Information Project. "It's an extraordinary effort."
China's defense ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The Pentagon declined to address intelligence-related matters.
