Satellite imagery reveals rapid expansion of nuclear weapons facilities in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, as part of Beijing’s drive to strengthen its strategic position amid rising superpower tensions, according to The New York Times.
The report highlights ongoing upgrades at secretive sites near Zitong and Pingtong, reflecting China’s efforts to modernise its nuclear arsenal.
Expansion at key secretive facilities
Facilities in Zitong and Pingtong have seen significant construction and modernisation in recent years.
At Zitong, new bunkers and ramparts have been built, alongside a complex with extensive piping believed to handle hazardous materials.
The bunkers are likely used for testing high explosives that compress nuclear material to trigger a chain reaction.
“You have a layer of high explosives and the shock wave at the same time implodes into the center. This needs blast tests to perfect them,” said Hui Zhang, a Harvard University physicist who reviewed the imagery.
Upgrades at plutonium production site
Pingtong, a heavily guarded location, is thought to produce plutonium cores for nuclear warheads.
Its main structure features a 360-foot ventilation stack that has been upgraded with new vents and heat dispersers, with further construction continuing.
Large characters above the entrance quote Xi Jinping, similar to signage seen at the US Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Analysts note that while the precise number of warheads produced remains unknown, the visible plant expansion is clear.
Some modifications may improve safety or support new weapons systems, including submarine-launched missiles.
Growing stockpile and global concerns
The Pentagon estimated that China had more than 600 nuclear warheads by the end of 2024 and could reach 1,000 by 2030.
Though smaller than US and Russian arsenals, the rapid growth has raised alarms.
“Because now we’re forced to react and plan around the worst-case interpretation of a concerning trend line,” said Matthew Sharp, a former State Department official now at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Geospatial intelligence expert Renny Babiarz observed that changes across these sites accelerated from 2019, aligning with China’s broader pursuit of superpower status.
“Nuclear weapons are an integral part of that,” he said.
The developments complicate efforts to revive global arms control, especially as Washington pushes for any future nuclear agreement to include China, while Beijing has shown little interest.
