China has carried out a large-scale expansion of missile-related sites since 2020 - a process that significantly increases its ability to deter the United States and strengthen its military superiority in Asia. This is shown by a new CNN analysis based on satellite images, maps and official Chinese documents, reports News.bg.
According to the investigation, more than 60% of 136 identified sites related to China's missile forces and military-industrial complex are expanding. In five years, the total area of new buildings has increased by more than two million square meters – including bunkers, hangars and missile components.
“This is China positioning itself as a global superpower. We are already at the beginning of a new arms race,“ said William Alburq, former director of arms control at NATO.
The uncovered facilities are often built on the site of destroyed villages and farmland, replaced by high-tech factories and research centers. CNN has identified more than a dozen previously unknown sites linked to the country's two main missile concerns – CASC and CASIC, which produce the bulk of China's conventional and nuclear missiles.
Since coming to power in 2012, Xi Jinping has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into modernizing the People's Liberation Army, with missile forces remaining at the center of strategic deterrence.
Experts say the expansion is preparing China for a possible military scenario against Taiwan. The missile systems are a key element of China's "denial of access" strategy, aimed at containing US forces in the event of a conflict.
Among the expanded facilities, CNN found facilities related to the production of the DF-26 ballistic missile - known as the "Guam killer". Its new version, the DF-26D with a hypersonic glider, was unveiled in September 2025.
Satellite images also show a significant expansion of 22 missile forces bases over the past five years.
While China is increasing production capacity, the United States is struggling to replenish its own arsenal. The Pentagon reports a 50% increase in Chinese missile stockpiles between 2020 and 2024, while US forces suffer from a shortage of interceptor missiles after massive deliveries to Israel and Ukraine.
Washington has expanded its contracts with Lockheed Martin to produce THAAD systems, but high costs and a long production cycle make it difficult to replenish them in a timely manner.
According to CNN, the pace of Chinese expansion has doubled since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Beijing drawing lessons from the effectiveness of massive missile strikes against fortified targets.
Despite the rapid expansion, China's missile forces have been rocked by corruption scandals - dozens of senior officers, including two former defense ministers, have been removed in the past two years, casting doubt on the army's real combat readiness.
Experts warn that the international system is entering a new cold war, in which the balance of power is increasingly shifting towards Asia.