China secretly expanding nuclear arsenal just 800 km from Arunachal Pradesh
India Today
China is expanding its nuclear arsenal in Zitong and Pingtong facilities, with the country's stockpile projected to exceed 1,000 warheads by 2030, reports The New York Times. The secretive upgrades are at mountain facilities in Sichuan province, which is barely 800 km from Arunachal Pradesh.
China has been aggressively building its nuclear arsenal at secretive facilities in Sichuan province. Its nuclear arsenal has grown fast and is now the world's third largest, with about 600 warheads as of early 2026, behind only Russia (around 5,400) and the US (around 5,100–5,200). China is now on track to reach over 1,000 warheads by 2030. Satellite imagery has shown expansion and upgrades at "secretive nuclear facilities" deep in the mountains of Sichuan province, southwestern China, which is about 800 km from Arunachal Pradesh.
The developments were detailed in a New York Times (NYT) report, which highlighted two key sites in Sichuan's valleys: Zitong and Pingtong.
These facilities, part of China's "Third Front" initiative from the Mao Zedong era, were originally built six decades ago to protect nuclear production from potential strikes by the US or the erstwhile Soviet Union. Tens of thousands of scientists, engineers, and workers carved out an "inland nuclear empire" in the mountainous interior, according to the NYT report.
But many sites were scaled back or closed in the 1980s as tensions eased. Personnel from these sites relocated to a newer lab in nearby Mianyang. However, things have changed in the last two decades.
Geospatial intelligence expert Renny Babiarz, who analysed satellite images and shared his findings with the NYT, described these changes as "rapid growth". Babiarz noted that evolution at various nuclear sites across China has accelerated since around 2019. "The changes we see on the ground at these sites align with China's broader goals of becoming a global superpower. Nuclear weapons are an integral part of that," Babiarz said.
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