Satellite photographs show “alarming development” indicating imaginable expansion of nuclear capabilities

Last modified on Friday. July 2, 2021 05. 24 BST

China is building more than a hundred missile silos in the desert, according to a satellite photo investigation, which researchers say affects an imaginable expansion of the country’s nuclear capabilities.

Analysts warned that the expansion meant an “alarming development,” but also suggested caution in the face of the “worst-case scenario,” pointing to tensions between major nuclear powers over disarmament.

The search, first reported through the Washington Post on Thursday, learned the structure of at least 119 silos, possibly involving intercontinental ballistic missiles, have been known in the desert of Gansu province.

The researchers, from the James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies, made the discovery of an investigation of satellite imagery provided through the corporate ad Planet.

Spread over more than 700 square miles, the vicinity of Yumen includes the structure of underground bunkers, which can serve as liberation centers, cable trenches, roads and a small army base, said one of the researchers, U. S. nuclear expert Jeffrey Lewis.

The features of the provision are the existing nuclear ballistic missile launch sites in Inner Mongolia, suggesting that China has built or built at least 145 nuclear ballistic missile launches in total.

“We believe China is expanding its nuclear forces in component to maintain a deterrent force that can conduct a first U. S. attack in sufficient numbers to defeat U. S. missile defenses,” Lewis told the Washington Post.

China would have about 350 nuclear warheads, about 30 more than in 2020, and far fewer than the United States or Russia, for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

In the midst of an arms race and worsening relations with Washington, China and Russia are reluctant to their arsenals without the corresponding limits for the United States. In April, the head of U. S. nuclear forces warned of an “impressive expansion” of China’s nuclear capabilities. .

The number of silos is not necessarily correlated with the number of missiles, and Lewis suggests that it may just be a “set of projectiles” to partially hide where the missiles are stored and ensure that other parties to a war don’t know precisely. where they were. He said the provision is similar to the one the U. S. designed when it developed its first “shell game” plans in the 1970s.

“So even though it looks like 120 silos means 120 missiles, it can also be 12 without problems. We just don’t know. And even if China were to deploy only a handful of missiles, its forces may also be a little more of a silos of time,” Lewis told Foreign Policy. However, whether the number is 12 or 120, this is an alarming fact. “

After last month’s NATO assembly warned of a desire to fight China’s growing authoritarianism and military power, Beijing accused the bloc of “defamation” and explicitly mentioned its nuclear arsenal.

China’s project to the EU said the country has fewer nuclear warheads than NATO members and has pledged not to use or threaten their use in opposition to non-nuclear states.

He said China was committed to a defense policy of a “defensive nature” and that its quest for the modernization of the military was justified and reasonable. In early June, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the country first adheres to the precept not to use nuclear weapons.

James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested “thinking the worst case” gently in the face of revelations about building silos.

“There’s a lot of reason to wonder if China is about to expand its nuclear arsenal so fast, it’s expanding it a little bit,” Acton said, noting the similarity to the U. S. game plan of the 1970s.

“Second, perceive that, to a large extent, China’s nuclear modernization program would likely be motivated by considerations about the United States. China has been open about its concern that the U. S. could preemptively attack its nuclear forces in a conflict. “

John Culver, a retired CIA analyst on East Asian affairs, the proximity of the buildings built. “Grouped so strongly that they almost dare, depending on the situation, an opponent to think of a counterforce attack,” he tweeted.