China Expands Nuclear Arsenal: Secret Facility ‘Site 906’ Uncovered in Sichuan

Beijing: A new investigative report has revealed that China is secretly expanding its nuclear weapons network, with a high-security facility constructed in a remote village in Sichuan province. Locals, displaced from the area, were reportedly told by authorities that the project was “a state secret.”

According to CNN, satellite imagery shows the former residential area now hosts tall buildings and dome-shaped structures used in nuclear weapons development. The facility has been designated as ‘Site 906.’ One massive dome, equivalent in size to 13 tennis courts, is equipped with radiation monitors and blast-proof doors to safely store radioactive materials such as uranium and plutonium.

Jeffrey Lewis, a prominent scholar at Middlebury College, told CNN that the scale and sophistication of the facility indicate a significant expansion of China’s nuclear capabilities, reflecting Beijing’s broader strategic ambitions. The area in Ziyang County connects several secret bases through newly built roads, enhancing the country’s nuclear infrastructure.

Nuclear analyst Decker Eveleth of CNA Corporation noted that these upgrades involve fundamental technological changes, making it increasingly difficult for the West to estimate China’s nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon has reported that China is now the fastest-growing nuclear power, with its stockpile surpassing France, though it still trails the United States and Russia.

China’s Ministry of Defense spokesman Jiang Bin dismissed the allegations, emphasizing that China follows a defensive strategy and maintains a strict no-first-use nuclear policy.

However, experts like Tong Zhao of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argue that Beijing sees nuclear capability as a psychological lever over Western nations and a means to assert its emerging global status. Analysts also note that recent conflicts in Iran have reinforced China’s resolve to strengthen its military power.