A huge complex.. China is building missile launch pads near the silos of its nuclear missiles news

China is building a sprawling network of missile launch pads, bunkers and communications points near isolated nuclear silos that house the Chinese military’s longer-range missiles, satellite images reveal.

In a remote Chinese desert, the features of a massive military complex that some security experts say appears designed to ensure that the United States cannot initiate a strike on China’s nuclear arsenal that would credibly disrupt Beijing’s ability to respond.

Chinese nuclear missiles are already capable of reaching any city in the United States.

The images reveal more than 80 platforms that could be used by China’s growing fleet of mobile missile launchers and air defense batteries.

Three security analysts who evaluated the images for Reuters said they also show facilities that may be used for electronic warfare, satellite communications and command operations.

Nuclear deterrent

The scale of construction, which has not been previously reported, indicates a large-scale expansion of hardened infrastructure designed to protect and operate China’s land-based nuclear forces.

Overall, this network indicates significant progress in Beijing’s efforts to ensure the ability to launch a second strike, confirming the intensification of the nuclear competition with the United States as tensions escalate between the two countries over issues such as Taiwan.

The ability to protect missile silos in the desert is key to achieving China’s stated goal of forming a limited but reliable nuclear deterrent, a policy based on the ability to respond if struck first.

Although the People’s Liberation Army is capable of launching nuclear weapons from submarines and aircraft, the silo fields in the northwestern region of Xinjiang and Gansu province form the cornerstone of China’s nuclear forces.

This month, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his American counterpart, Donald Trump, that mismanagement of the differences between their two countries over Taiwan, which Beijing considers its own, could lead them to a dangerous situation.