China Expands Its Nuclear Missiles; US Pentagon Raises Concern

According to satellite images, China seems to be constructing more than 100 additional missile silos in the desert.

(Photo : Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Performers dressed as military dance in front of a screen showing rockets being launched during a mass gala marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party.

Beijing Expands Its Nuclear Capabilities

In a recently published report in The Washington Post, independent analysts said China has started the construction of more than 100 new intercontinental ballistic missile silos in a desert near the northern city of Yumen, a building binge that may indicate a significant increase in Beijing's nuclear weapons.

Work is ongoing at dozens of locations over a grid spanning hundreds of square miles of desert terrain in China's Gansu region, based on commercial satellite photos acquired by experts at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif. The 119 virtually identical building sites include characteristics that are similar to those found at China's current nuclear-tipped ballistic missile launch stations, per Seattle Times.

If completed, China's purchase of more than 100 additional missile silos would mark a historic change for the nation, which is thought to have a nuclear arsenal of between 250 and 350 missiles. The exact quantity of new missiles destined for those silos is unclear, although it is likely to be considerably few. In the past, China has used decoy silos.

The U.S. Pentagon Raised Concerns About the Proliferation of China's Missile Silos

In an article published in Business Insider, a spokesperson for the Defense Department refused to comment on the satellite pictures or on US intelligence assessments of China's nuclear program. However, Pentagon analysts and experts have already expressed worries about the spread of China's missile silos, remarked spokesperson John Supple.

Supple said that the Defense Department officials have testified and talked publicly about China's increasing nuclear capabilities, which they anticipate to double or perhaps triple in the next decade.

Rather than engaging in a costly arms race with Washington and Moscow, China has long adhered to a "limited deterrence" policy that emphasizes a small but powerful nuclear arsenal that guarantees Beijing's capacity to respond if attacked.

Chinese Officials Complained that their Country's Nuclear Lose Credibility

Chinese authorities have recently warned that their country's nuclear deterrence is losing credibility as a result of nuclear modernization projects planned or ongoing in Russia and the United States.

Meanwhile, Beijing has rejected demands to join fresh arms-control negotiations, citing concerns that additional restrictions would permanently cement Beijing's position as a second-rate nuclear state in comparison to Washington and Moscow.

Photos of the Missile Silos

The commercial satellite firm Planet provided Lewis and Eveleth with photos of the Gansu construction project, which offered a constant stream of updated pictures showing progress at each of the building sites throughout time.

Lewis concluded that there was a "very high probability" that China was preparing a "shell game" in which it would conceal a limited number of warheads throughout a network of silos, based on his research. Nonetheless, he believes that the unexpected emergence of so many new launch locations would put pressure on US authorities to accelerate efforts to upgrade the country's arsenal.

Furthermore, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in February that the Biden administration will seek arms control to minimize the risks posed by China's sophisticated and expanding nuclear arsenal.