satellite images from this year show how china is expanding its military arsenal
from missile launch sites in remote deserts to aircraft carriers and
submarines at sea.
China's build up in recent years has been unprecedented.
Well china's military spending is much lower than the US.
Its defense budget has more than doubled over the past decade.
The build up is aimed at meeting Beijing's goal of having a world class military.
By 2049.
The 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
China perceives the us increasingly as a threat and wants to find ways of
countering the United States which operates as the premier power broker.
In Asia.
The Wall Street Journal analyzed recent satellite images from max our technologies and Planet Labs
and spoke to military experts who studied them and they reveal how Beijing is advancing its
nuclear and naval arsenal to take on the U.
S.
And its allies.
China successfully tested its first nuclear weapon in the 1960s and
since then it's developed a few 100 warheads.
According to us government estimates that's far less than the roughly 4000 the US
has.
However in the past year or so,
Beijing stance has shifted.
The chinese leadership has decided that it needs a lot of nuclear weapons compared to what it had
before Hans Kristensen has been studying china's nuclear development for more than four
decades and is currently with the Federation of American scientists,
a nonprofit policy think tank based in Washington D.
C.
Satellite images show china has been adding what appears to be missile launch facilities
in the remote deserts of central and western china zoom in.
And you see this,
they put up these big inflatable domes over the silo construction
sites both to protect against climate but also to protect against,
you know,
spy satellites and things like that.
When the basic construction is done,
the inflatable domes are taken down,
revealing silo fields.
These contain huge canisters that are built into the ground and can be used to house nuclear tipped
missiles.
On this elevated dirt mound,
Christensen says there appears to be a silo hatch which is a lid to a missile
canister.
And there's also a wide road that could be used to transport missiles on trucks.
In the past two years or so,
Christensen has observed more than 300 silos under construction across china Up from some
20 the country used to have before 2018.
And he says the primary focus of these silos would be to expand China's nuclear Arsenal
China's development indicates that it's sort of,
it has begun to think that it is more vulnerable to attack than it was
before.
Military analysts say one of these sites is large enough for a new long range chinese missile
which can carry nuclear warheads and is capable of reaching the US mainland.
While the chinese government hasn't officially confirmed or denied the construction of these missile silo
fields.
Beijing has pledged not to use nuclear weapons unless provoked.
China is also beefing up its navy.
That's critical because about one third of the country's borderline faces the ocean.
At the southern edge of Hainan Island is a Chinese Navy base.
This satellite image shows two of china's nuclear powered ballistic missile
submarines.
Military analysts say it's the only vessel in the Chinese navy dedicated to launching nuclear
weapons.
It's China's first credible sea based deterrent.
Matthew funny Ole is a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
His team obtained these satellite images from MAX our technologies in order to analyze china's
military development.
Tonioli says China is relatively new to deploying such submarines,
which are capable of launching ballistic missiles that can reach as far as 5600
miles.
And the Chinese military says each submarine could carry up to 12 of them in the region
itself.
You know,
the jail to certainly strike India could strike Russia.
But if you're thinking about whether or not it could strike targets across the continental United
States.
Um,
not not so much Another significant upgrade to China's naval fleet.
A newer aircraft carrier.
This satellite image shows a shipyard in Shanghai and since at least 2018
China has been building what military analysts say will be the country's biggest aircraft carrier.
The new vessel is bigger than its two predecessors and this extra space means a longer
and wider flight deck for larger and more powerful aircraft to take off.
What that gives you is that you can generate a lot more lift to try to get heavier
airframes into the air,
so more fuel and a lot of cases,
bigger aircraft and do so at uptempo at,
you know,
at faster speed.
While china has revealed little information about the aircraft carrier,
Tonioli says satellite images show that the vessel could be equipped with an advanced launch and recovery
system,
like the one used by U.
S.
And french aircraft carriers.
With this design,
a catapult launches the aircraft And during landing arrest or wires catch
it.
The Pentagon expects the vessel to be operational by 2024 and when
deployed,
China will be able to project power farther away from the mainland.
It gives China a flexible tool that sale your aircraft carrier fleet through a
strategic waterways way of sending a signal to other regional powers to prepare for
potential conflicts with other military powers.
Satellite images also show china constructing what appears to be mock up models in the
shape of a U.
S.
Vessel in the desert.
Military analysts say the chinese army is increasingly focused on creating realistic training
environments and it's not just against US troops,
but also other adversaries.
For instance,
this satellite image shows what appears to be a surveillance plane in the desert and the
aircraft looks like one that's operated by the Japanese Air Force.
Military experts say,
the size and shape,
particularly the radar mounted on the back of the plane,
indicate that it's a Japanese aircraft,
China's Ministry of National Defense didn't respond to a request for comment on questions about the
country's military build up.
Security experts say China's expansion has been across a range of assets because it's about
looking beyond the US as its only challenge.
China has a very broad horizon when it comes to potential adversaries
that is looking,
you know,
almost 360° around China.
Those adversaries include close US allies like Japan and South Korea,
which are also increasingly casting a wary eye on china.
So as Beijing continues to invest in its arsenal and military technology,
security experts say it's also pushing the U.
S.
To stay competitive to defend against any potential threats from its rival.