China appears to be increasing the size of its nuclear test facilities near Lop Nur, a dried up salt lake in Xinjiang’s Xyghur Autonomous Region in the country’s west, as there is evidence of “sixth tunnel” being built for underground testing, plus power lines “and a facility that could be used for storing high-explosives” being installed recently, according to a report by Nikkei, which sought expert analysis of satellite photos it had obtained.
China has not conducted underground nuclear tests at Lop Nur since 1996, but the satellite images and tenders for protective suits and ‘radiation dose alarms’ by a paramilitary group controlled by the Communist Party in the western province suggests the country’s military wants to resume testing, the report said, which quoted a security professor who said President Xi Jinping may want to “discourage US intervention in the Taiwan Strait by threatening to use small nuclear weapons.”
Read the full report: Nikkei Asia.
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