Satellite imagery has revealed significant expansions at suspected nuclear weapons facilities in Sichuan province, China, raising concerns about an accelerated nuclear buildup. Geospatial intelligence expert Renny Babiarz analyzed images taken between 2022 and 2026, suggesting that China's nuclear development has intensified since 2019. At the Zitong site in southwest China, new bunkers and protective walls have appeared inside a valley, alongside a fresh complex featuring an extensive network of pipes typical of facilities handling hazardous materials.
Experts cited in a New York Times report believe the bunkers at Zitong are likely used for high-explosives testing, crucial for refining the chemical detonators that compress nuclear material in warheads. "You have a layer of high explosives and the shock wave at the same time implodes into the center. This needs blast tests to perfect them," said Hui Zhang, a physicist researching China's nuclear programs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, who reviewed Babiarz's findings.
Further evidence of activity emerges from another Sichuan facility known as Pingtong, secured by double fencing and dominated by a large main building with a 360-foot-high ventilation stack. Recent satellite images show the main structure has been refurbished, with new vents and heat-dispersion systems added, alongside fresh construction next to the primary building.
Analysts suspect Pingtong is where China may be producing plutonium-packed cores, or "pits," for nuclear warheads—the components that trigger a nuclear blast. Babiarz noted that the site's design and layout closely resemble facilities in other countries dedicated to manufacturing these plutonium cores.
The developments at both Zitong and Pingtong underscore a pattern of major infrastructure growth at China's suspected nuclear sites, as captured in the satellite imagery spanning 2022 to 2026. This expansion aligns with observations of China's broader nuclear modernization efforts accelerating in recent years.
