China Testing Missiles to Strike Ships in Port, New Images Reveal

A satellite picture shows a carrier target in Ruoqiang, Xinjiang, China, on Oct. 20, 2021. Satellite Image ©2021 Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters

Analysis of new satellite images suggests that the Chinese military is testing its ability to target ships in port with long-range ballistic missiles. The discovery may shed light on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to develop a military capable of decapitating U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific.

The new images, taken by a Maxar Technologies satellite and first reported by the U.S. Naval Institute, document a “great wall” of missile testing facilities, some of which were previously used to test missiles on elaborate replicas of U.S. naval vessels.