Unidentified structures spotted by satellites on the borders of Xinjiang and Gansu Province, China, and posted on the Google Earth Internet service recently are giving rise to speculation about possible military activity, reports say.
The vast structures, all situated in parts of the Gobi used by China for its military, nuclear and space programs, have puzzled analysts. The imagery also leaves unanswered questions over whether the structures are dug in or painted.
Some of the sites observed are situated less than 160km from Jiuquan, where China’s space program and its launchpads are located. The Ding Xin military airbase, where China is believed to conduct classified aircraft tests, is 640km from some of the sites.
One picture taken in 2007 shows an aggregate of orange blocks the size of shipping containers arranged in a circle, with three military aircraft occupying the center. A more recent satellite sweep of the area shows the blocks scattered as far as 4.8km from the site.
Another image shows a series of metallic squares littered with what appears to be the debris of exploded vehicles, lending credibility to claims that some of the structures are used for gunnery or airstrike practice. Other structures consist of kilometers-long grids. With the Lop Nur nuclear test site located about 600km away from some of the structures, some experts have suggested the latter could be optical test ranges for missiles simulating the street grids of cities, with some speculating that this could be a replica of a Washington street layout. Others posit that the grids could be used for satellite calibration.
A defense expert at Jane’s Defence Weekly told the Telegraph that the structures looked similar to the kind of missile test ranges seen in the US, with target and instrumentation used to analyze the effect of missile blasts.
Beijing has yet to comment on the purpose of the structures.
DEATH TOLL 903: More than 900 workers are believe to be trapped in the tunnels and underground areas of several hydropower projects after flash floods in Nepal-Tibet Rescue teams were working to reach more than 900 people thought to be trapped in the tunnels and underground areas of half a dozen hydropower projects in Nepal following the devastating flash floods, ?the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said yesterday. The death toll from the unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, mud ?and debris that crashed through valleys of Nepal on Wednesday last week has risen to 903 people, with 16 more dead reported on the Tibet side of the border. More than 4,000 are missing in Nepal, with another 500 in Tibet. Hundreds of bodies, many unidentified, have been
TAIWAN-CHINA ISSUE: Beijing has protested Taiwan’s inclusion in the 18-member state forum, which is being hosted by Palau, an ally of Taiwan At least five leaders would skip the Pacific Island region’s annual summit, officials said yesterday, hours before the opening of talks overshadowed by Taiwan-China tensions. The gathering aims to grapple with challenges such as climate change, drug crime and the Chinese test-firing of a ballistic missile in July that landed in the Pacific Ocean. China’s security and economic influence has added resonance this year, because the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum is being hosted by Palau, a diplomatic ally of Taiwan. Beijing has protested against Taiwan’s inclusion among aid partners invited to attend along with China, Singapore, Japan, the UK and the US. China has
Singapore’s air quality hit an unhealthy level yesterday, as haze from forest fires raging in Indonesia continued to spread across swathes of Southeast Asia. The city-state is currently one of the 10 most-polluted major cities in the world, coming in at third in IQAir’s ranking. Kuching, in the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo, was No. 1. A government taskforce has “activated haze response plans” for schools, workplaces and community centers, Singaporean Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu (傅海) said in a video message on Facebook. Most people could continue essential daily activities, but the elderly or vulnerable should
WAR CRIMES? An investigation found that a network of countries are supplying Sudan’s RSF with weapons, including drone blamed for large civilian casualties Foreign weapons, military technology, fighters and logistical networks are helping sustain Sudan’s conflict and expanding the warring parties’ ability to strike deep into civilian areas, a UN fact-finding mission said in a report published yesterday, warning that some attacks might amount to war crimes. Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. The conflict has devastated the country, displaced more than 14 million people and created what the UN has described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The UN mission said
RSS