Taipei: The US military warns of what analysts have described as a major expansion of the Chinese nuclear nuclear missile field during increased tensions between Beijing and Washington.
Researchers at the Federation of American scientists estimate that China has around 250 underground missiles that are being built after they use satellite imagery to identify new fields built in West China.
US strategic command tweeted Wednesday’s link for a story in the New York Times on the findings of the Federation, published this week.
“The public has found what we have said so far about threats that grow throughout the world and the veil of confidentiality surrounding it,” said the strategic command, who oversaw American nuclear arsenal.
The field in the Xinjiang area is the second report this summer.
In June, researchers at James Martin Center for nonproliferation studies in California identified other fields that were being built in Gansu’s neighboring province.
China has not commented on the report.
Asked about the latest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that it did not realize the situation.
The report came when the relationship between the US and China had fallen to their worst level in decades.
Both countries remain sharp on various problems, including trade, technology, cybersecurity, human rights, and China’s foreign policy that are increasingly assertive under President XI Jinping.
The expansion of China’s nuclear style is likely to be a factor in US calculations for potential military confrontations at the turn point such as Taiwan or the South China Sea.
The BlowzePoken editor of the state-owned Global Times newspaper said this week that US institutions and media hyping reports on missile fields to suppress China, but the nation should not be interrupted.
“Look at what American politicians say about China and see provocative action from warplanes and their warships near China,” said Hu Xijin.
“China must fully increase the construction of military power and nuclear prevention as a national security foundation.” Both sites are about 800 square kilometers (300 square miles).
Land-based silos can accommodate intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Spreading Silos across the area that is so widely targeting a much more complicated field.
Analysts say some silos can function as baits as well.
“The Chinese Rudal Silo Program is the most extensive Silo Construction since the construction of the US and Soviet missile silos during the Cold War,” Matt Korda researcher and Hans Kristensen wrote in the Federation of American scientists reported.
Kuo Yu-jen, a defense study expert at the National Policy Research Institute in Taiwan, said it was very difficult to get an accurate amount of underground silos in any country, but that satellite imagery recently released was “very, very similar “For silo missiles.
He characterizes the findings as a warning by others that China, in developing its nuclear weapons capabilities, violates the international consensus directed to the dismissal of nuclear weapons.
“It’s also to let Russia know.
China, if it increases the number of missiles, it threatens not only the US, but also Russia and Europe,” said Kuo, director at the National Policy Research Institute in Taiwan.
The US and Russia, who have the largest nuclear weapons in the world, held inconclusive talks this week in Geneva in an effort to avoid the new nuclear weapons race.
Chinese nuclear arsenal are estimated by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in 350 warheads, while the United States or Russia has around 6,000.
Pentagon said China would at least double the size of its weaponry in 10 years.
The latest research follows the findings by Kristensen in February the construction of 11 underground silos in the range of spacious missile training near Jionantai in North China.