Hidden in the foggy mountains of southwest China, brand-new satellite photos reveal China’s massive push to supercharge its nuclear weapons program. Beijing is racing to build a bigger, deadlier arsenal right as tensions with the West skyrocket. This sneaky expansion raises alarms about China’s intentions, especially with its bullying stance on Taiwan and refusal to play by international rules.
Take the Zitong site in Sichuan Province—a hotspot under close watch. Workers there have piled on new bunkers, thick walls, and locked-down buildings. A fresh complex screams danger, with heavy pipes and gear perfect for dealing with deadly stuff. Experts suspect it’s for blasting high explosives, the key spark for nuking warheads. The New York Times exposed this, showing China’s not just tinkering—it’s gearing up for trouble.
Nearby, the Pingtong facility hides in a valley, ringed by double fences like a fortress. Its setup matches factories churning out plutonium “pits”—those deadly metal hearts of atomic bombs. A giant 360-foot smokestack towers over the main hall, hooked to heat exchangers and air scrubbers to handle toxic fallout. Recent images show non-stop upgrades: rebuilt sections, fresh walls, and endless construction. Looming over the gate, a huge slogan from Xi Jinping beams down—visible even from space. Geospatial whiz Renny Babiarz, who’s pored over these pics, warns this is no isolated project. Since 2019, China’s nukes sites have exploded with activity, painting a picture of frantic growth that screams bad news for the world.
This all hits at the worst time for keeping nukes in check. The last big U.S.-Russia arms deal is dead, and America insists any new one drags in China. But Beijing snubs its nose at talks, dodging accountability while stacking warheads. The Pentagon says China hoarded over 600 nukes by late 2024, barreling toward 1,000 by 2030. Sure, that’s less than U.S. or Russian piles, but the breakneck speed shows China’s ditching its “peaceful” mask for raw power.
Worse, top U.S. arms control guy Thomas G. DiNanno slammed China for sneaky underground nuke tests, breaking a worldwide pause. Beijing lies through its teeth, denying it all, but the evidence mounts. These aren’t innocent drills—they’re cheats to sharpen killer weapons.
These bases trace back to Mao Zedong’s paranoid 1960s “Third Front” scheme. He shoved nuke factories deep inland to dodge U.S. or Soviet bombs. Tensions cooled in the ’80s, so China mothballed most, shifting eggheads to Mianyang labs. For years, Beijing bragged about a tiny deterrent, with slow tweaks at spots like Pingtong and Zitong. But about seven years back, that flipped. Now, construction rages not just in Sichuan but at mega-sites like Mianyang’s laser lab, mimicking blasts without real booms—perfect for covert upgrades.
Satellite snaps can’t count exact bombs, sure. Physicist Hui Zhang admits plants are booming, but output’s a mystery. Maybe it’s “just” safety fixes or tweaks for sub-launched missiles. Or maybe—more likely—it’s honing deadlier designs with hidden tests. Either way, China’s opacity fuels fear.
For the U.S., it’s not just the tally—it’s the shift. A beefed-up, slicker arsenal might embolden Beijing in a Taiwan showdown, letting Xi shrug off American pressure in a regular war. Ex-Pentagon insider Michael S. Chase at RAND nails it: China wants nuke muscle to feel untouchable, flipping the script on U.S. strength.
With arms treaties crumbling, China’s mountain hideouts crank out uncertainty and danger. This isn’t defense—it’s a power grab, mocking global norms while the world watches helplessly. Beijing’s nuclear sprint demands a tough response: more scrutiny, stronger alliances, and zero tolerance for its games. The free world can’t afford to look away.
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