China’s Answer to the Pentagon - "Beijing’s Military City"

Key Takeaways:

• China is developing a huge new military command centre that will dwarf the size of the Pentagon. The project underscores Beijing’s military ambitions at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and endemic economic challenges.

• The project suggests Beijing is increasingly prioritising the development of China’s warfighting capability. The plans could provide further evidence signalling the growing threat posed by China, particularly to Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

• Western nations and their allies in the Indo-Pacific must deepen multilateral ties and defensive cooperation in response to the growing threat. Washington should continue to take a leading role, strengthening deterrents against Chinese aggression.

The Project

Since mid-2024, China’s military has been constructing what will be the world’s largest military command centre in western Beijing, nicknamed “Beijing’s Military City” by some intelligence experts. Satellite images show a roughly 1,500-acre construction site 30km southwest of Beijing; the centre is expected to be at least ten times the size of the Pentagon when completed. Some analysts who have examined the images believe the project could involve the construction of multiple facilities connected by underground passageways. Over 100 cranes have been observed working on the project. Signs warning against flying drones and taking photographs demonstrate the secretive nature of the work. Access to the site is strictly prohibited and there are no official mentions of the project on Chinese government websites.

Military Ambition Amid Economic Strain

While the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) current headquarters in central Beijing is fairly new, it is not designed to be a secure combat command centre. In this regard, the new facility would represent notable progress. Among the project’s most distinctive features are deep holes that experts assess will house eventually house bunkers. It is thought that these will be built to protect Politburo officials and military leaders in a conflict, potentially even withstanding a nuclear exchange.

China’s economy is facing an array of challenges, including low consumer spending, a struggling real estate sector, demographic challenges, youth unemployment, and a global trade war. Against such a backdrop, Beijing’s preparedness to fund this new project serves as a strong illustration of the extent to which Xi is prioritising military development. According to former Head of China Analysis for the CIA, Dennis Wilder, the project “signals Beijing’s intent to build not only a world-class conventional force but also an advanced nuclear warfighting capability”.

The new facility aligns with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping’s ambition of surpassing the US as the world’s preeminent military power. Xi is pushing for China to become a world-class military by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the country. Another key milestone is 2027—the year by which US military officials believe Xi has instructed the PLA to be capable of invading Taiwan. Beijing is also currently in the process of building a nuclear arsenal that could rival that of the US in a decade, potentially reaching 1,500 deployed warheads by 2035.

Some analysts have pointed to the new command centre as evidence to support Beijing’s intent to unify their commands, which were split in 2016 into five theatres of command based on region. The military has only recently embraced combined arms doctrine, in which each branch fights in coordination. This is because of the perceived threat of multiple branches joining forces to overthrow the government.

One for the West to Watch

China’s new command centre provides another reason for Western policymakers to fear Beijing’s growing military preparedness. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) continued investment and progress could reignite an arms race with the US and its allies should fears grow that the gap is closing too much. Multilateral cooperation, particularly between China’s adversaries in the Indo-Pacific, sometimes referred to as the “crescent of defence”, is becoming increasingly crucial to managing the Chinese threat.

With China’s military preparation growing in scale and the new command centre underscoring Beijing’s military ambitions, CCP officials may believe China has greater escalation dominance in a crisis. This perception might embolden riskier behaviour, such as the use of coercive military signalling or sudden moves to test Western resolve. It is therefore important for the West to take reciprocal actions to counteract changing power dynamics. One way to achieve this is by expanding support for Taiwan’s Porcupine Strategy, which involves using smaller, mobile asymmetric weapons such as anti-tank missile launchers to enhance the island’s ability to resist invasion by superior forces. Given the importance Beijing attaches to reunification and China’s increasing military activity around the island, it would be an error for policymakers not to treat the current period as one of heightened risks.

The role of the US will inevitably be particularly crucial in managing China’s threat. With the Trump administration’s America First policy triggering a withdrawal from certain international obligations, including cutting USAID funding, concerns have grown that China’s influence could increase on the global stage as US interest wanes. While these fears are valid, Washington’s policy on China appears fairly consistent with the previous administration, which also considered Beijing to be a significant threat to US interests. On 31 May 2025, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hesgeth reassured Indo-Pacific allies that the US would stand with them against China, even going as far as to warn that China was "credibly preparing to potentially use military force" to reorder the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, prompting condemnation from Beijing. This rhetoric will likely have been well-received by the many representatives at the Shangri-La Dialogue concerned about China’s intentions. However, it remains unclear exactly what role the US would play in a conflict involving China, particularly considering that both possess nuclear weapons. It is important for the US to continue and expand its leadership role, bolster multilateral defence mechanisms, and continue to strengthen deterrents against China. Given the bipartisan consensus on countering China’s influence, there is strong reason to expect continued US resistance to Beijing’s strategic ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.