China is building a massive military complex in the western part of Beijing that US officials say could serve as a wartime command center and be larger than the Pentagon, the Financial Times reported.
Satellite images reviewed by US intelligence reveal the existence of a 1,500-hectare site near the capital, likely designed with reinforced bunkers to protect Chinese military leaders in times of conflict, including nuclear war.
Once operational, the complex could become the largest military command center in the world, more than ten times the size of the Pentagon, US intelligence sources have said.
Construction of the facility, which began in mid-2024, is part of a broader modernization plan for the People’s Liberation Army of China. The plan aims to expand its nuclear arsenal, develop new weapons and improve coordination across all military domains, including land, air, sea, space, cyber and electronic warfare.
“China’s main secure command center is currently located in the West Hills, northeast of the new facility, and was built during the Cold War,” a former US official told the Financial Times.
The size, scale and partly underground nature of the new site suggest it will replace the West Hills complex as the primary wartime command center.
The new facility is located 30 kilometers southwest of Beijing and spans 1,500 hectares. Satellite images show a growing complex of deep concrete bunkers and underground connections, indicating its strategic importance.
US intelligence estimates that the center will be used to manage China’s wartime operations. There is also speculation that it could be linked to President Xi Jinping’s goal of developing the capability to strike Taiwan by 2027.
“If confirmed, this new advanced underground command bunker for military leadership, including President Xi as chairman of the Central Military Commission, signals Beijing’s intention to build not only a world-class conventional military force, but also an advanced nuclear warfare capability,” said Dennis Wilder, former head of China analysis at the CIA.
Hsu Yen-chi, a researcher in Taipei, added that “the land area is much larger than a typical military camp or school, suggesting that it is an administrative organization or a large training base.”
The development comes at a time of rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, as China continues to strengthen its military capabilities and increase its nuclear capability.
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