Beijing appears to be building up its nuclear arsenal after a revelation that China is constructing a massive new nuclear fusion research center in the southwest city of Mianyang. Intelligence officials said the facility will be used to ramp up production of nuclear weapons and unleash new clean energy.
The findings come from a report by Reuters on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Satellite images shared with the news outlet revealed the construction of the sprawling facility.
What are analysts saying?
A U.S. research analyst told Reuters that the pictures show four outlying “arms,” where hydrogen isotopes will be fused with an ultra-powerful laser to produce nuclear energy.
Researchers said the facility’s layout is similar to the multibillion-dollar U.S. National Ignition Facility in California. In 2022, that facility created more energy from a fusion reaction than was pumped into the target from powerful lasers. The phenomenon is known as “scientific breakeven.”
The new Chinese facility sports an experiment bay that is about 50% bigger than the one at NIF, which is currently the world’s largest, according to analysts who viewed the satellite photos.
Analysts said they are confident any world power with “a NIF-type facility” will likely be using it to improve current weapon designs and break ground on “future bomb designs without testing.”
What is China saying about the facility?
Neither China’s Foreign Ministry nor the country’s science and technology ministry have responded to questions regarding the nuclear facility.
Previous findings
A U.S. intelligence envoy released satellite images of the site in November 2020. The images show a cleared out plot of land where the new Chinese facility, known as the Laser Fusion Major Device Laboratory, will be. Intelligence officials noted in their report the area will likely house Chinese nuclear weapons support centers.
