China recreated part of the capital Taiwan as a military training ground

Somewhere in a desert area, China has recreated an important part of Taiwan’s capital as part of a military training camp. This concerns the part of Taipei where the presidential office and other Taiwanese government buildings are located. This is evident from satellite photos published this week.

It is unclear what the reconstructed part of the city is used for, but it is clear where China’s focus and intentions lie.

China is strengthening and modernizing its military and has not ruled out the use of force to annex Taiwan.

Images of the training camp, located in the desert in Alxa prefecture in the northern part of Inner Mongolia, emerged on social media earlier this week.

Joseph Wen, a Taiwanese defense analyst, posted the satellite images with a comparative map of the Taipei site on X last Monday.

Wen wrote that although China had previously recreated presidential buildings in other locations, this replica also included many of the offices in the nearby area. In addition, this complex would be located on an area where artillery and aerial bombardments are practiced.

If you compare the satellite photo with the maps, you will see that they match quite well. The location of the roads and the offices in the training area are in almost the same location as in Taipei.

The piece of reconstructed Taiwanese capital was not made very recently. Satellite images from Planet Labs show that it will already be in December 2022, and possibly even longer.

Taiwan’s presidential office in the Chinese desert

In 2014 and 2015, satellite photos showed that China had created other replicas of Taiwan’s presidential office in Zhurihe, Mongolia. Video footage showed that Chinese troops practiced attacks on the building here in 2015.

The Presidential Office Building in Taipei.

When journalists asked China’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-chen last Wednesday why the Taipei replica had been built, he replied that any country can copy facilities and parts of other countries. He also suggested that Taiwan conduct similar military exercises with its own replicas.

While this method of training is not necessarily unusual, it does show some intention.

China previously made replicas of US aircraft carriers and other naval vessels at training grounds. These were probably used to improve the effectiveness of Chinese missiles.

Experts have long warned about the role that China’s growing arsenal of ‘Rocket Force’ could play in potential conflicts.

Concerns about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

The images from the replica in Alxa prefecture fuel concerns about possible action by China against Taiwan.

China has been conducting exercises for some time to demonstrate its strength at sea and in the air. There have been collisions with Philippine ships and American aircraft.

Last week, US Admiral John Aquilino stated that China is building the greatest military power since World War II. According to Aquilino, the country is ready for an invasion of Taiwan in 2027.

People watch a video about China's military developments — People watch a video about China’s military developments

China is putting pressure on countries with ties to Taiwan and regularly flies fighter jets and bombers over the country to provoke a response.

In response to the Taiwanese elections that took place earlier this year, China has further increased the pressure.

Taiwan elected Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as the new president in January. That meant a historic victory for the DPP, which has been in power in the country for three terms. At the same time, it was also the worst possible outcome for China.

Beijing is said to have preferred opposition candidate Hou You-ih of the Kuomintang, who is more open to strengthening ties between Taiwan and China. The DPP, on the other hand, has been trying to maintain the status quo with Beijing and preserve Taiwan’s autonomy since 2016.