China's silence on establishing the world's largest nuclear research center

Satellite images have revealed that China is building a new nuclear laser research center in Mianyang, which experts say could help design nuclear weapons and produce energy.

Reuters published a special report on this topic on January 28, where researchers reported that satellite images showed a central testing area where laser device supports were installed.

This center is modeled after the $3.5 billion National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Northern California, and according to analysts’ estimates, the testing area at this Chinese center is 50% larger than the NIF center, which is currently the largest center in the world.

Analysts also stressed that any country that has a center of the type of NIF can test its nuclear weapons and study the designs of new bombs without conducting tests.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Science and Technology did not respond to Reuters’ questions on this topic, and the office of the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency did not issue any statement.

In November 2020, U.S. Ambassador for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea revealed satellite images of China’s nuclear facilities, showing an empty lot in Mianyang that had been designated as a new research or production area after 2010. According to construction documents, the area has now been converted into a research center known as the Laser Fusion Device Laboratory. According to experts, while other nuclear powers such as France, Britain, and Russia have built similar centers, China’s new center will be the largest of its kind.