China has been rapidly expanding its missile centers since 2020. Its objective is to increase nuclear and hypersonic missile production to counter the US Army. The move is part of a strategy on Taiwan and could precipitate a global arms race.
Beijing: According to a report, China has started expanding its missile manufacturing centers on a large scale from 2020. Analysis of satellite images and official documents released by CNN says that this is a deliberate move by China to counter the US military and establish its dominance in the area.
Revolution in nuclear capacity and production
Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, billions of dollars have been invested in bringing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to ‘world class’ levels. The centerpiece of this expansion is the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF), which maintains China’s nuclear weapons arsenal. Xi Jinping had described this force as the backbone of strategic defence. According to the report, out of 136 centers related to missile production, large-scale construction work is going on at more than 60% of the sites.
From the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2025, more than 2 million square meters of new construction area has been added to these centres. Satellite images mainly show new towers, bunkers and hangars for weapons development. The aim of all this is to rapidly transform rural areas into military-industrial centres. China also aims to rapidly increase the production capacity of short-range, hypersonic and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Worldwide concern and Taiwan’s strategy
Experts believe that this step of China is starting a new arms race across the world. William Alberc of the Pacific Forum Research Institute considers this development to be the beginning of a new arms race. From 2023, China is expanding its nuclear weapons stockpile at a rate of about 100 warheads per year, much faster than other countries. However, China’s total stockpile is still far behind compared to the stockpile of America and Russia.
Experts consider the missiles manufactured in these new centers to be an important part of China’s military strategy (PLA) targeting Taiwan. Experts say that if there is a war, these missiles are very important for the strategy called ‘Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) Bubble’, which aims to keep the US Navy away from the Gulf. The goal of this strategy is to destroy airports and ports that deliver military aid to Taiwan.
Relations with India may deteriorate
The report said that as China is expanding its missile manufacturing centers on a large scale, this military move may worsen geopolitical relations with many countries including India. It has also been warned that this development could start a new arms race in the area. As Pacific Forum Research Institute analyst William Alberc pointed out, China is trying to establish itself as a global superpower. This increasing missile capability of China can create difficulties in relations with America, Japan and Taiwan as well as India. International experts have warned that this huge investment by China to increase its defense capability can instigate other countries in the region to increase their armaments in a similar manner.