New satellite images have uncovered significant developments at a highly secretive military site known as ‘China’s Area 51,’ raising concerns among experts about Xi Jinping’s military ambitions. Situated in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), the site, which dates back to the 1960s and was previously utilized for nuclear tests, now shows extensive construction activity at China’s Lop Nur base. Notable changes include the expansion of the nuclear testing facility and the construction of numerous secretive hangars believed to house advanced weapons developed by the People’s Liberation Army.
The heavily guarded site boasts the world’s longest runway at 16,400 feet, seemingly constructed for an experimental military ‘space plane’ capable of entering and exiting the Earth’s atmosphere. Recent images from Planet Labs reveal the presence of two new tailless stealth fighter jets beside a lineup of vehicles near the runway. Analysts have noted the establishment of a new underground test area adjacent to the original site, featuring boreholes, horizontal tunnels for containing nuclear blasts, access roads, support structures, and storage facilities for explosives, all developed between 2020 and 2024.
Experts suggest that this surge in activity signifies a heightened arms race between China and the United States, with Beijing strengthening alliances with Moscow and Tehran in preparation for a potential Taiwan invasion. The expanded facilities observed in the images are deemed crucial for building a sufficient arsenal required for a potential takeover of Taiwan, involving prolonged land and sea assaults.
William Alberque, a senior adjunct fellow at the Pacific Forum and former NATO arms control director, emphasized China’s strategic positioning as a global superpower and the onset of a new arms race. Tensions escalated further following remarks by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, characterizing a Chinese attack on Taiwan as a threat to Japan’s survival, prompting sharp rebukes from Beijing, including a provocative message from the Chinese consul general before its deletion.
As the geopolitical landscape continues to evolve, the latest developments at the military site underscore China’s ambitions and the escalating competition with global counterparts in the realm of military capabilities and strategic positioning.