According to recent satellite imagery and expert analysis, China is developing a vast military command center southwest of Beijing, potentially surpassing the Pentagon as the world’s largest.
The 1,500-acre site, dubbed “Beijing Military City,” is under rapid construction and may serve as a fortified hub for China’s military operations.
Satellite images from Maxar, dated March 20, 2025, reveal significant progress at the construction site.
Brady Africk, deputy director of Media Relations and Data Design at the American Enterprise Institute, shared a timelapse on X showing the site’s transformation over a year.
The imagery highlights a shift from a residential area near the Chongqing Reservoir in February 2022 to a cleared landscape by February 2023, with major construction beginning in mid-2024.
By June 2024, tunnels and roadways encircled a central area likely reserved for the main complex.
A former senior US intelligence official, cited by the Business Insider, suggested the facility could replace China’s Cold War-era Western Hills complex as the primary wartime command center.
The official noted the site’s “size, scale, and partially buried characteristics” indicate enhanced security, potentially shielding against US “bunker buster” munitions.
Analysts speculate the complex may also function as a nuclear bunker for Chinese officials, underscoring its strategic importance.
The construction, located 20 miles southwest of Beijing, dwarfs the Pentagon, which spans 150 acres. Military experts describe the site as a heavily fortified installation with underground tunnels and reinforced structures, designed to withstand missile strikes.
Dennis Wilder, a former CIA China analyst, warned that the complex signals a shift in China’s military doctrine, aligning with President Xi Jinping’s goal for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to be combat-ready by 2027, possibly for a Taiwan contingency.
The project remains shrouded in secrecy, with Chinese internet searches yielding no public details. Reporters attempting to access the site were blocked by guards, and nearby hiking trails were closed.
A local shopkeeper confirmed to investigators, “It’s a military area.” Online speculation, including a now-deleted Chinese social media post, referred to the site as a potential “Chinese Pentagon.”
The command center’s development coincides with China’s broader military buildup. The PLA is expanding its nuclear arsenal and integrating its forces for greater efficiency.
Satellite imagery also recently revealed a fusion research center in Sichuan, raising concerns about dual-use applications in energy and weapons development.
These efforts reflect China’s ambition to rival US military capabilities by 2027, as noted by US intelligence sources.
Western intelligence agencies express alarm over the facility’s scale and purpose, viewing it as part of China’s preparations for potential global conflict.
The command center’s fortified design and strategic location suggest a focus on resilience in high-stakes scenarios, heightening tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
