00:00This is believed to be the site of the world's largest military command center
00:05under construction on the edges of the Chinese capital, Beijing.
00:09At 1,500 acres, it is ten times the size of the Pentagon,
00:13and its development is happening as China ramps up its armed forces modernization program.
00:18Once it's completed, this could accelerate the PLA's efforts to become a much more modern,
00:24capable and lethal military.
00:26Here's why China is modernizing its military,
00:29and how this new megabase could reshape the global security landscape.
00:34Its sheer size has led some experts to describe the complex as a military city.
00:40Beijing has not publicly revealed what is being built,
00:43but analysts believe it will be used as a command center for the People's Liberation Army or PLA.
00:49Projects of this size are usually of strategic importance.
00:53It will have functions similar to the Pentagon.
00:56That means it will be a building that will house large numbers of staffers
01:01who will be in charge of supplying, administering and managing the Chinese military.
01:07Perhaps some intelligence functions, there could be some training facilities.
01:11Satellite images of the construction site reveal that China is building underground.
01:16They're digging quite deep. This suggests a bunker that can be used for leadership and military purposes,
01:23and to protect people in the bunker from bombs, missile strikes, and potentially even nuclear strikes.
01:29China has a longstanding policy called no first use, meaning it won't be the first side to launch nuclear weapons.
01:37In the event of a conflict, China may have to be postured to receive the first strike.
01:44Analysts believe that the military city will replace China's current main command center,
01:48located in the Western Hills area near Beijing, and which dates back to the 1950s.
01:54It's very possible that these facilities were built to a standard of protection that may have been
02:00acceptable in the Cold War, but given the power of modern-day munitions, including bunker-busting munitions,
02:08they may not afford effective protection today.
02:12China's foreign ministry referred questions to the defense ministry, which didn't reply to a request for comment.
02:18Analysts believe the construction of the military city also marks a shift in Beijing's defensive strategy.
02:26Chinese military hope to become a military that is as modern as military such as that of the United
02:32States, NATO countries, Russia. If they can do this, the Chinese military will become much more
02:38lethal on the battlefield.
02:40The project also reflects a change in the command structure of the PLA.
02:44This is a new push under Xi Jinping, and the idea is that the military should have
02:49all the services working together as one cohesive team. That requires a high degree of cooperation,
02:55communication and planning. This building with many co-located offices could help facilitate that.
03:00The PLA's transformation drive has raised alarms in the US. The Department of Defense warns that China
03:06will continue to rapidly modernize, including expanding its nuclear forces. As of last year,
03:13Beijing was believed to have had more than 600 operational nuclear warheads. The US estimates
03:19this will grow to more than 1,000 by 2030. The overall instability of the international system is
03:26an important factor. The conflict is spreading, so given a much more unstable and uncertain
03:31international environment, and given Chinese tensions with the US, there are strong incentives for
03:38Beijing to want to enhance its military preparedness. Figures show that China's defense budget will be
03:44around $240 billion this year, making it the second highest spender on defense in the world after the
03:51US. However, analysts at Jane's, a defense and security think tank, believe that the number is closer
03:58to $290 billion. The project comes ahead of the PLA's centennial celebrations in 2027, a date when US
04:07officials believe Xi has instructed his forces to be ready to take Taiwan, an island that Beijing claims
04:14as part of its territory. Analysts also warn that China's new command center could trigger a chain
04:20reaction among nations across the globe. This military city is an enabler and an accelerator of the overall
04:28broader military modernization trends. But whether this really poses a threat to the US will depend on
04:35politics at the end. The US and the Chinese governments, how well can they manage their differences
04:41and how well can they manage their tensions between each other.
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