China is actively modernising many secret facilities related to the production of nuclear warhead components. The Washington Post writes about this with reference to satellite images analysed by experts.
According to the publication, the work is being carried out against the backdrop of Beijing’s efforts to create capabilities for a faster response to a potential attack and indicates the upgrading of key elements of the nuclear infrastructure, which previously remained unnoticed by analysts.
The images were analysed by experts from Vienna-based Open Nuclear Network and London-based VERTIC, comparing the images with declassified documents, scientific publications and data on the movement of military equipment. The photos show at least six facilities involved in warhead production.
The most active phase of the expansion, The Washington Post notes, began in 2021. In particular, the massive modernisation over the past five years has affected a facility in a mountainous region of Sichuan province, which analysts link to the production of plutonium cores. There, the protected area has been expanded, buildings upgraded and new construction sites rolled out.
Similar work is underway at another site in Sichuan, likely related to the production of explosive components for initiating nuclear reactions, where a security wall and possibly a new storage facility are being built starting in 2021.
In addition, in Jitong County, a facility of about 40,000 square metres was completed in 2024, which could be used to assemble and prepare warhead components.
Experts believe that China’s nuclear arsenal is unlikely to match that of the United States in the near term, but the almost universal changes in the nuclear programme point to preparations for a long arms race.
Earlier, Reuters, citing a confidential Pentagon report, reported that China could increase the number of warheads to a thousand by 2030 and is accelerating military preparations amid a possible conflict over Taiwan.