A new study has shown that China is building a second set of missile silos near the city of Hami in Eastern Xinjiang. The new missile base, which was spotted by satellite imagery in China’s Xinjiang region, could potentially include 110 silos in the future, a report published by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) said.
Earlier this month, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies reported that researchers had uncovered another silo field near Yumen in the neighbouring province of Gansu, where 120 silos appear to be under construction. The Hami missile silo field, whose construction began at the start of March 2021, is reportedly in the nascent stage of development as compared to the Yumen field.
The reports also emphasised that “it is unknown how China will operate the new silos and how many warheads each missile will carry.” While some Chinese media outlets previously dismissed reports of the missile silo field in Gansu on basis that it was a “wind farm,” the government is yet to make a comment on the same.
Researchers are concerned that the seemingly rapid build-up of the latest infrastructure signals a potential expansion of the Asian giant’s nuclear arsenal, and casts a shadow on Beijing’s commitment to its “minimum deterrence” strategy. While the policy has historically kept China’s nuclear weapons at a comparatively low level, the report noted that “the “minimum” threshold for deterrence will likely continue to shift as China expands its nuclear arsenal.”
The FAS reported that the two sites combined signify “the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever.” “The Chinese missile silo program constitutes the most extensive silo construction since the US (United States) and Soviet missile silo construction during the Cold War,” it said. The report further added that “The number of new Chinese silos under construction exceeds the number of silo-based ICBMs operated by Russia, and constitutes more than half of the size of the entire US ICBM [Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile] force.”
The news is particularly concerning to the United States (US), as it comes only days after China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic weapon system as part of its recent and aggressive advance in space and military technologies.
According to General Mark Milley, chairman of the Pentagon’s joint chiefs of staff, the US has not conducted a hypersonic weapon test of the level China achieved.
President Joe Biden, too, expressed his concern regarding the test, as did other senior US officials. Senator Angus King said that “the US cannot lag in this development or allow for blind spots as we monitor the progress of our competitors.”
Meanwhile, China has continued to accuse the US of being “cagey” and “irresponsible” and push the Biden administration to release more details of the nuclear-powered US submarine that hit an “unknown object” in the Indo-Pacific last month. The US Navy’s brief statement regarding the incident did not clarify further details including the object the vessel collided with, the exact location of the incident, or the number of injured sailors.
US Concerns Rise After Satellite Imagery Shows China Potentially Expanding Nuclear Arsenal
China's recent infrastructure development signifies “the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever.”
November 3, 2021
Military vehicles carrying the DF-17 hypersonic ballistic missile during a parade in Beijing celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2019. SOURCE: XINHUA