Is China building a vast network of nuclear missile silos?
- Mainland military analysts pour cold water on a recent Washington Post report that said satellite images suggest new facilities were being built in the desert
- Nuclear hawks favour more sea-based weapons and point out that the most advanced land-based ICBM can be launched from a mobile platform
Chinese military observers have dismissed US media reports that China is building a network of nuclear missile silos in its northwestern desert, saying that they would be too vulnerable to attack and the technology involved is obsolete.
A report published by The Washington Post on Thursday said 119 construction sites that resembled existing launch facilities for nuclear-armed ballistic missiles were being built near the city of Yumen in Gansu province.
The report was based on a study of commercial satellite images by the California-based James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies and fuelled speculation that China is seeking to expand its nuclear capabilities.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price described the report as “concerning” and said that “it raises questions about [China’s] intent”.
“I think what is fair to say is that these reports and other developments suggest that the PRC [People’s Republic of China]’s nuclear arsenal will grow more quickly, and to a higher level, than perhaps previously anticipated,” he said.
But Chinese defence analysts dismissed the report as unfounded.