Timelapse images have captured the rapid development of a substantial Chinese military complex, which US officials believe could surpass the size of the Pentagon by tenfold.
A recent Financial Times report, drawing on insights from former and current US officials, highlights the intelligence community’s close monitoring of this expansive 1,500-acre site near Beijing, now referred to by some as “Beijing Military City.”
The site’s construction, which started last year about 20 miles southwest of Beijing, has been analyzed using satellite imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2. This analysis reveals deep excavations that experts believe are likely for fortified bunkers, possibly to protect China’s military leaders in the event of a nuclear conflict, including a preemptive strike scenario.
Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, noted similarities between this project and historical strategies during tensions, such as the underground bunkers used by Chairman Mao Zedong during the 1969 Soviet border conflict. Sharing his views on X (formerly Twitter), Morris expressed, “The extensive bunkering likely indicates preparations for a nuclear command and control setup. This aligns with the CCP’s concerns over a potential US first strike, providing a secure command hub for senior CCP and PLA leaders during a nuclear crisis.”
Mathieu Duchatel from the Paris-based Institut Montaigne also commented on the scale and implications of the construction, noting, “The enormity and the choice of Xiangshan for its location are remarkable. Yet, it confirms our understanding that China seeks not just military parity with the U.S. but superiority, emphasizing its leadership’s vulnerability to a first strike.”
Dennis Wilder, former CIA deputy assistant director for East Asia and the Pacific, emphasized the strategic implications in his statement to the Financial Times: ” If confirmed, this development of an underground command bunker for China’s military leadership, including President Xi Jinping, highlights Beijing’s drive to enhance both its conventional military and nuclear capabilities.”
This complex serves as a stark reminder of the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, located in Arlington, Virginia. The Pentagon is one of the world’s largest office buildings and a central hub for America’s foreign policy initiatives.
