In northwestern China, at the Lobnor Lake test site in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where the first underground nuclear test was conducted in 1964, a drilling rig has drilled a deep vertical shaft that is estimated to go at least half a kilometer deep.
According to The New York Times, this is now a strong indication that Beijing is considering testing a new generation of nuclear weapons that could increase the lethality of its missile forces.
Evidence of the new wells, including satellite images, was found by Renny Babiarz, a former analyst at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a Pentagon unit.
"All the evidence points to China making preparations that will allow it to resume nuclear testing," said Tong Zhao, a nuclear energy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Dr. Babiarz, an expert on satellite reconnaissance as well as Beijing's nuclear program, argues that explosions in deep mines could accelerate the development of new types of nuclear weapons for the country's rapidly growing arsenal.
Independent experts who have examined satellite imagery and Dr. Babiarz's analysis share his concerns.
The publication notes that for years, US government reports and independent experts have expressed vague concerns about the old Lobnor base. Reports point to possible preparations for year-round operations and a lack of transparency.
China's actions, along with those of other nuclear powers, could undermine the global test ban imposed in 1996.
This is happening at one of the most sensitive moments in relations between the United States and China, the newspaper notes.
US President Biden has said he is trying to "stabilize" the increasingly contentious relationship and sought to reach some agreements at a summit meeting last month with China's leader Xi Jinping.
Background. Meanwhile, it has been reported that China is asking Ukraine to immediately remove its state-owned China Railway Construction Corporation from the list of international sponsors of war.