Satellite images of top-secret Chinese Lop Nur military base appear to have highlighted efforts of expansion, with one defence expert claiming this is proof of Xi Jinping wanting a ‘slice of the nuclear weapons cake’
As talk of nuclear weapon testing ramps up, with both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin revealing their desire to start the practice up again, one defence expert claimed China also wants a ‘slice of the cake’.
New satellite images of top-secret Lop Nur military base, in the Xinjiang region of China’s far west and dubbed their ‘Area 51’, highlight huge efforts by the Chinese military to expand the facility.
The first aerial images taken since 2020 show boreholes and horizontal tunnels being used to contain blasts from nuclear devices appearing alongside an expanded runway and new fighter aircraft. A series of access roads, support buildings and storage facilities for explosives also appear to have been developed in the last five years.
Speaking to the Mirror, Professor Anthony Glees, a security and defence expert from the University of Buckingham, said: “Xi has heard his chum Putin saying Russia will resume nuclear weapons testing, has heard Trump responding immediately by saying the USA will do the same thing and Xi wants a slice of this particular cake as well.”
China currently has an arsenal of 600 nuclear warheads – far less than the US, on 5,177, and Russia, which has the world’s largest stockpile at 5,500. In comparison, Britain has 225 nuclear warheads, though this is set to rise to 260 in the next few years.
The expansion of Lop Nur is a sign that China intends to catch up, claims Professor Glees, who added: “This is a grim taste of what is to come.”
Reports from US intelligence suggest that Beijing plans to attack Taiwan by 2027 – and these new images could add fuel to these claims and cause concern among Taiwanese officials.
China has repeatedly insisted it wants “peaceful reunification.”
Professor Glees said: “Since September, there have been multiple signs that President Xi is now firmly on the warpath, and democratic, anti-Communist Taiwan under an ever-mounting existential threat.
“China is busy brewing and it’s not Tsingtao Beer. These fascinating satellite images show preparations underway for a massive air force test site, with evidence that the three mile long runway being constructed will try out two new supersonic tail-less stealth planes, the three engined J-36 and the smaller J-50, designed to fly extremely fast, extremely high and be invisible to radar pulses.
“They are not defensive fighters, they are attack dogs.
“Their mission is to launch a surprise strike using new hypersonic missiles and drones. There can be little doubt that the target China has in its crosshairs is Taiwan.”
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