China building huge new wartime military command center in Beijing

China’s military is building a massive complex in western Beijing that US intelligence believes will serve as a wartime command center far larger than the Pentagon, according to current and former American officials, Report informs via Financial Times.

Satellite images obtained by the Financial Times that are being examined by US intelligence show a roughly 1,500-acre construction site 30km south-west of Beijing with deep holes that military experts assess will house large, hardened bunkers to protect Chinese military leaders during any conflict — including potentially a nuclear war.

Several current and former US officials said the intelligence community is closely monitoring the site, which would be the world’s largest military command center — and at least 10 times the size of the Pentagon.

Based on an assessment of satellite images obtained by the FT, major construction started in mid-2024. Three people familiar with the situation said some intelligence analysts have dubbed the project “Beijing Military City”. The construction comes as the People’s Liberation Army develops new weapons and projects ahead of the force’s centenary in 2027. US intelligence says President Xi Jinping has also ordered the PLA to have developed the capability to attack Taiwan by then.

The PLA is also rapidly expanding its nuclear weapons arsenal and working to better integrate its different branches. Military experts believe the PLA’s lack of integration is among its biggest weaknesses compared with the US armed forces.