China constructs massive desert nuclear complex with 80 launch pads

Satellite images analysed by Reuters show a sprawling network of more than 80 concrete platforms in a remote desert area of north‑west China, linking Xinjiang and Gansu missile‑silo fields such as the Hami complex. The infrastructure includes roads, rail lines, communications nodes and octagonal buildings that could host mobile launch systems, air‑defence units or electronic‑warfare equipment. Experts say the construction aims to strengthen the survivability of China’s land‑based nuclear arsenal and ensure a credible second‑strike capability, a core element of its “minimal but believable” deterrence strategy. The development is occurring against a backdrop of heightened US‑China tensions, especially over Taiwan, and follows U.S. defense assessments that China’s nuclear stockpile may reach about 1,000 warheads by 2030. While the exact weapons to be deployed remain unclear, analysts view the project as a significant expansion and diversification of China’s strategic deterrent.