China has built full-size versions of US warships in a desert region deep inland. Experts reported that these were built to practice aerial bombardment. Fake warships were discovered on satellite images. The fact that China makes no effort to hide the patterns suggests that the intent is for Americans to be able to see them, too.
NDBG
Last updated:
17:49
Somewhere in the middle of China’s Taklamakan Desert, in northwest Xinjiang, US satellite images have spotted the silhouettes of what appear to be replicas of US warships deployed in the Pacific Ocean. Replicas are supposed to serve as training targets, it seems.
It may concern replicas of an aircraft carrier and a destroyer, among other things. One of the replicas stands on tracks, while the others are two-dimensional. Other replicas still look a lot more sophisticated, she says United States Naval Institute. “An analysis of the photo history shows that the hull and shape of the aircraft carrier was built first, between March and April 2019,” the institute said in a report. At the end of September, activities at the site resumed.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said he had no information about the photos during a daily briefing on Monday. “I am not aware of the situation you mentioned.”
growing anxiety
Large-scale Chinese military modernization focused on confronting the navies of the United States and other countries. This includes developing missiles that can be launched on land, at sea and in the air to fend off and possibly sink enemy ships.
The photos released come at a time of growing concern about the potential for military conflict between the world’s two largest economies. The Pentagon released a report this month saying that China is expanding its nuclear power much faster than US officials predicted a year ago. This acceleration should allow China to match or surpass the global power of the United States by the middle of this century, the report said.
The Chinese Navy and Coast Guard are expanding their fleet at a record pace with the new ships, which are mainly deployed in the South China Sea, the strategic waterway almost entirely claimed by China.
At the moment, China has not yet provided an explanation for the satellite images. It is also still waiting for an official statement from the US Secretary of Defense.
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