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China Building Wartime Command Center as War Preparations Intensify: Report

China is reportedly constructing a massive wartime military command center in Beijing, a move that adds to fears of intensifying war preparations.

Satellite images obtained by Financial Times and being analyzed by US intelligence reveal a roughly 1,500-acre (607-hectare) construction site southwest of the capital, with deep holes believed to be for large, hardened bunkers.

Current and former American defense officials assessed that the facility will serve as a key hub for coordinating military operations, as well as a shelter to protect high-ranking Chinese military officials in the event of conflict.

While the completion timeline remains unclear, initial assessments suggest that construction is still in its early stages.

With its enormous size — at least 10 times that of the Pentagon — it is now dubbed by some military experts as “Beijing Military City,” the world’s largest military command facility.

Off Limits

China has apparently made efforts to keep the construction discreet, with no visible military presence around the site.

Access to the rear of the construction area is also restricted by a checkpoint, and tourists are prohibited from hiking or visiting nearby areas.

Warning signs are posted around the site, forbidding drone flights or taking photographs.

Among the equipment seen in the satellite images are at least 100 cranes working over a 5-square-kilometer (1.9-square-mile) area, developing underground infrastructure.

The Chinese embassy in Washington claimed it was unaware of the facility’s specifics but emphasized Beijing’s commitment to a path of “peaceful development.”

War Preparations

The Chinese military is believed to be ramping up war preparations amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

In the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the US is not explicitly obligated to intervene militarily but is committed to providing Taiwan with defensive support and maintaining its capability to resist coercion.

This has led both Beijing and Washington — two of the world’s most powerful militaries — to accelerate preparations, with growing concerns that tensions could escalate into conflict.

In March 2024, a US military commander stated that China is “on track” in its preparations for a potential invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

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