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The people's republic's rocket power was also pointed out at the propaganda show in Beijing on the centenary of the Communist Party
Photo: Kevin Frayer / Getty Images
At the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party, President Xi Ping announced that China would continue to build a "world-class" army to defend its national interests, he stressed. "The Chinese people will never allow foreign forces to harass, oppress or enslave us," Xi said in front of the applauding audience (read more here).
However, strengthening as a military power may also include expanding the nuclear potential.
The Washington Post reports that in a desert in the west of the People's Republic near the city of Yumen, the construction of more than a hundred new silos for ballistic ICBMs has apparently begun.
The sheet also shows satellite images evaluated by researchers at the James Martin Center in California.
ICBMs are the primary means of delivering nuclear weapons.
The photos show 119 almost identical construction sites.
So far it is assumed that China has only 250 to 350 nuclear weapons, with the new silos a considerable increase would be possible.
Together with construction sites in other parts of China, the total number of missile silos amounts to around 145, the researchers report.
The researchers' discovery fits in with warnings from the Pentagon of rapid advances in China's nuclear capabilities. Admiral Charles Richard, who commands US nuclear forces, reported at a congressional hearing in April that China was undergoing "breathtaking expansion," including a growing arsenal of ICBMs and new mobile missile launchers easily hidden from satellites can be. In addition, the Chinese Navy has expanded its fleet to include new nuclear-capable submarines. The silo building project could offer China yet another opportunity to hide its most powerful weapons.
The silos are likely intended for a Chinese ICBM called the DF-41, speculated researcher Jeffrey Lewis.
This could carry multiple warheads and hit targets up to 15,000 kilometers away - which could even bring the US mainland within range.
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